Today Special : National Chili Day
On February 24, we celebrate National Chili Day — a moment to pay homage to the legendary dish that brings people together, and can tear them apart. Chili is the ultimate people-pleaser, but it’s also the ultimate cook-off dish. Family recipes are guarded like crown jewels, and secret ingredients are never spoken of above a whisper. And the debates about what makes true chili — beans or no beans? —are fierce! But these are all part of what makes chili such an experience. When chili is being served — perhaps with some chopped onions and shredded cheese on top — everyone comes to the table.
NATIONAL CHILI DAY ACTIVITIES
- Cook up your favorite chili : Maybe your go-to recipe is in your head, or maybe it’s earmarked in your favorite cookbook. Maybe you need to call your mom and have her give your step-by-step instructions. However the chili gets on the stove, get it there, and then enjoy a piping hot bowl of the good stuff.
- Host a chili cook-off : Everyone, and we mean everyone, has a chili recipe. So invite everyone over and have a chili throw down. Competition will be fierce, but so will your appetites.
- Go on chili tour : We mean it when we say that everyone has a chili recipe — that includes the chefs at your favorite restaurants. Find out which spots in your town have chili on the menu, and do your own version of a progressive dinner to find your favorite. Then next year on National Chili Day, you’ll know where to head.
WHY WE LOVE NATIONAL CHILI DAY
- It’s hearty : Some soups are barely an appetizer, but chili is a meal unto itself. A big bowl of steaming chili can warm you up and satisfy you like few other foods can. It sticks to your bones and keeps you full.
- Everyone has an opinion : Secret chili recipes are the stuff of legend — and of deliciousness. The variety in the dish is mind-boggling, and means you’ll never get sick of showing up at a friend’s house and hearing that chili being served. And chili has sprung one of the fiercest food debates there is: do beans belong in chili?
- It brings people together : Chili is the ultimate comfort food. You start feeling good the minute you open the door, its spicy aroma wafting through the air. Hold a steaming bowl of the stuff in your hands and you’re on your way to perfect culinary experience. No one misses chili night. It’s informal, cozy, and a time for people to be together.
