Capsicum e carne coquitur
**Capsicum e carne**, vulgo *chile* vel *chilli con carne*, est ferculum in Novo Mexico aut Mexico septentrionali aut Texia inventum. Recentius Mexicani minime aestimari originemque Mexicanum negare solent, Texani autem magna parte laudant ferculumque nationale censent. "Lady Bird" Johnson Texana, praesidis uxor, "mense Novembri ineunte" ait, "primo aquilone percutiente, caelo griseo, hora circiter undecima, meditare suadeor optima quali sapore 'capsicum' ad cenam nocturnam inferatur": ferculum enim illa, sicut alii plures, ***chili*** sine pluribus (ut qui "capsicum" diceret) nuncupavit. Asseveratur enimvero Robertum Allan Shivers, gubernatorem Texiae, capsicum e carne deprecatum esse hoc consilio culinario: "Ollam 'capsici' imo furno ad fervendum ponas. Ferveat semperque ferveat. Interdum bonum frustum bubulum torrefacias. Hoc comedas. Capsicum fervens semperque fervens obliviscaris." Shivers autem re vera capsicum e carne appetenter comedebat, quippe qui praeceptum culinarium capsici e cervina a se confectum divulgari permisisset.

Pulvis capsici (*chilli powder*) ad hoc ferculum singulo fere impenso temperandum anno circiter 1890 in Texia inventus est.

De origine multifario
---------------------

Salubritas capsici e carne humana confecti in mythistoria "*The Enchanted Kiss*" relata: Henry (1904)
Capsicum e carne in platea Antoniopolitana a venditoribus origine Hispanis anno circiter 1907 proponitur
Bubulcus capsicum e carne in Texia anno 1939 distribuens
*Mike's Chili Parlor*, popina ubi capsicum e carne offerebatur, Seattli in urbe anno fere 1975 lucis ope picta
Iam ante annum 1585 amanuenses Bernardini Sahagun Navatlace scribentes "carnem e maizio capsicisque rubris lycopersicisque et contusis cucurbitarum granis coctam" necnon "carnem frictum ex iure capsicorum rubrorum lycopersicorumque et contusorum cucurbitae granorum" enumeraverunt. Haud dissimiliter post annos ducentos et sexaginta Gulielmus Bollaert iter per Texiam liberam anno circiter 1842 faciens "bubulam vel pullinam aliamque carnis speciem quoquomodo concoctam e cucurbita magnaque copia capsicorum rubrorum" descripsit, quod "inter fercula maxime exoptata" incolarum aestimavit.

Ferculum, cui impensa notabilia caro et capsicum tantum sunt, quod ope tamalium loco coclearii sumptum erit, primum anno 1828 in urbe S. Antonii Texiae ab incolis paratum rettulit peregrinator J. C. Clopper. Texia eo aevo provincia fuit Mexicana, incolis magna parte pauperibus Hispanice loquentibus:

Si apud macellum eis necesse sit carnem emere, perparva quantitas ad cibum omnis familiae suffici cogitur. Modo isicii consecari solet, quanta carne tantis fere capsicis, et in una concoquitur. Massae maizii paratae parvus pugillus extrahitur, manu battuitur ad tenuitatem lucunculi, in laminam ferream torretur: tales crispae loco coclearii ab indigenis adhibentur: quas in eadem patina carnis capsicique omnes simul mergunt, singula crispa duas buccellas ad maximum suppeditante, altera statim prehensa.
Rem persimilem (sed apud privatum iam effugum) Ioannes Duval miles anno 1842 in Mexico septentrionali vidit, sed ille, primus omnium nobis notorum, nomen ferculi dedit:

Duo tresve in domum aegre penetrantes mensam repperimus variis victualibus oneratam: capsico e carne, tortillis, etc. lagoenis *pulque* nonnullis, capsaque bonis sigaris Hispanicis repleta.
Post quattuor fere annos Compton Smith in eadem regione explorator ad mensam convocatus est ut socolatam sumeret, "potionem ab hac sola gente perfectissime paratam", cenamque generosam participaret e *chile con carne*, *picadillo*, *frijoles*, *tortillas*. Post aliquot menses ille commilitonesque, sicut iam Duval, ollas capsici cum carne prunis ferventes, comedentibus subito effugis, avide sentiverunt.

Susanna Magoffin(en), iter imbelle in Novum Mexicum eodem anno faciens, prima ephemeridographorum hoc ferculum apud colonos admodum pauperes descripsit:

Dein cena: sex tortillae de maizio cyaneo(en), caseus, duae ollae fictiles quibus mixtura carnis, capsicorum viridum (*chilly verde*), ceparum bullita est. Nec cultella, nec furcillas, nec coclearia habuimus sed ut melius potuimus duplicem tortillae frustum quaque buccella prehendimus. Buccellae vero paucae sumptae sunt: ferculum tam forte palatoque meo inusitatum haud comedere potui.
His verbis nomen *chile verde*, quo Neomexicani hodierni ferculum nuncupare solent, apud eos e viridibus capsicis varietatum indigenarum factum, prima suggessit. Tale nomen capsicorum maturiorum (quae in Texia adhibita sunt), *chili colorado*, inter primos O. Henry mythistoricus contextu simili adduxerit. Ille enim, Antoniopoli saeculo XX ineunte habitans, heroem mythistoriae brevis incolam huius urbis finxit, locus videlicet ubi ante septuaginta annos J. C. Clopper capsicum e carne observaverat. Ibi praeter alias urbes hoc ferculum a coquis cauponisque origine Hispanis in plateis venditabatur:

Noctu saepe illis praesepibus versus vagans delectabile *chili-con-carne* gustabat, ferculum ingenio Mexicano evolutum, e delicatis carnibus cum herbis aromaticis pungentique capsico rubro (*chili colorado*) compositum, singulari sapore ardentique aculeo plenum a quo palatum hominis Meridiani placeretur.
Mythus urbanus "reginarum capsicorum", i.e. cauponarum pulchrarum Antoniopolitanarum capsicum e carne venditantium, eis annis (sed non e scriptis O. Henry) ortus est, locus classicus gastronomiae Texanae.

De praeceptis variis
--------------------

Capsicum e carne et phaseolis, crispellis de maizio (*tortilla chips*) ornatum
Capsicum e carne, pluribus locis evolutum, variis modis conficitur: apud Mexicanos spretum, a Neomexicanis appetenter sumptum, a Texanis usque ad invidiam amatur: sunt enimvero qui praecepta Texana, neque alia, recipienda suadent. Harrius James(en) musicus "nihil est," ait, "nisi jazz, quod spiritum animumque magis sublevet quam bona patera capsici: Congressus legem ferat ut popina, capsicum offerens, praeceptis Texanis tantum conficiat".

Inter Texanos aegre diiudicatur. Capsicum e carne a coquis apud popinas *Lang's chili* olim optime inferri dicitur, aut a bubulcis Texanis ad contubernales pascendos paratum. Praeceptum a coqua Zephyr Wright in usum praesidis Lyndon Baines Johnson adhibitum laudabatur, quod uxor huius sub titulo *Pedernales River chili* divulgaverit (ex appellatione cuiusdam latifundii ad familiam Johnson pertinentis). Praecepta Neomexicana *chile verde* haud multo a Texanis differunt nisi quod capsica viridia aliter ad coquendum parantur.

Elisabetha Taylor actrix ferculum apud popinam occidentalissimam *Chasen's*, Ruscisilvae in California florentem, tanto appetivit ut, Romae morans, arcam capsici e carne Ruscisilvani sibi cursu aërio mitti mandavit. Plurimi per orbem terrarum his diebus capsicum e carne aut congelatum (*brick chili* nuncupatum) aut in capsis metallicis missum in tabernis emunt.

E descriptionibus antiquiores satis liquet capsicum coctum esse ex omni fere carne quam comedentes (saepius aut pauperes aut iter facientes) habere potebant. Texani Neomexicanique recentes certe bubulam praeferunt, cui nonnumquam baconis frustula pauca addunt. Si autem caro venationis provenit, praesertim ex *Odocoileo virginiano*, minime recusant: praecepta *venison chili* varia reperiuntur, quorum unum a gubernatore Texiae Roberto Allan Shivers propositum est. Capsicum e carne virginis humanae, quoquo mense ante lunam plenam sumendum, nullibi nisi in mythistoria phantastica O. Henry describitur.

Notae
-----

1. ↑  *Along in November, when the first norther strikes, and the skies are gray, along about five o'clock in the afternoon, I get to thinking how good chili would taste for supper*: Claudia Alta Taylor Johnson, epistola (Tolbert (1972) p. 12)
2. ↑  *Put a pot of chili on the back of the stove to simmer. Let it simmer and simmer. Meanwhile, broil a good sirloin steak. Eat the steak. Let the chili simmer and simmer. Forget it*: Allan Shivers fide Tolbert (1972) p. 44; cf. Barry Popik die 14 Novembris 2007
3. 1 2  Maddox (1953)
4. ↑  Bernardinus de Sahagun, *Historia general de las cosas de Nueva España* (manuscriptum, ante 1585) lib. 8 f. 22v sqq. (Arthur J. O. Anderson, Charles E. Dibble, interprr. *Bernardino de Sahagún: The Florentine Codex; General History of the Things of New Spain* pars 9 [University of Utah Press, 1954] pp. 37-40)
5. ↑  *a sort of stew made of beef, chicken or any other sort of meat, with pumpkin and a large quantity of red pepper is one of their favorite dishes*: William Bollaert, commentaria (W. Eugene Hollon, Ruth Lapham Butler, edd. *William Bollaert's Texas* [Norman: University of Oklahoma, 1956] p. 218)
6. ↑  *When they have to pay for their meat in market a very little is made to suffice a family. It is generally cut into a kind of hash with nearly as many peppers as there are pieces of meat: this is all stewed together ... When the [corn] dough is al[l] ready a small portion at a time is taken and patted in the hands till thin as a flannel cake ... These cakes are baked on sheet iron ... they answer the natives for spoons with which they all dip into the same dish of meat and peppers ... one spoon not lasting longer than to supply with two mouthfuls when a new one is made use of*: Clopper (1828) p. 74
7. ↑  *two or three of us had picked our way into a room, where we found a table well covered with various sorts of eatables—*chili con carne*,* tortillas*, etc. several bottles of* pulque*, and a box full of fine* puros*, or Spanish cigars*: Duval (1870) pp. 174-175 fide Popik (2006)
8. ↑  *to partake of a delicious cup of chocolate, a beverage prepared only in perfection by these people, while an abundant repast of* chile con carne*,* picadillo*, and* frijoles*, with* tortillas*, were being served up*: Compton Smith (1857) p. 137. *What was most interesting to our hungry fellows, of all the camp equipage they left behind, were their steaming pots of* chile con carne*, which, in their hurry to "vamos," they had left upon the embers*: Compton Smith (1857) p. 257
9. 1 2  *And then the dinner: half a dozen* tortillas *made of* blue corn *... a cheese ... and two earthen* jollas *of a mixture of meat,* chilly verde *and onions boiled together ... We had neither knives, forks, or spoons, but made as good substitutes as we could by doubling a piece of* tortilla *at every mouthful—but, by the by, there were few mouthfuls taken, for I could not eat a dish so strong and unaccustomed to my palate*: Magoffin (1846) p. 94
10. ↑  *Often had Tansey strolled down to these stands at night to partake of the delectable* chili-con-carne*, a dish evolved by the genius of Mexico, composed of delicate meats minced with aromatic herbs and the poignant* chili colorado*—a compound full of singular savour and a fiery zest delightful to the Southern’s [1909: Southron's] palate*: Henry (1904) p. 754
11. ↑  *Next to jazz music, there is nothing that lifts the spirit and strengthens the soul more than a good bowl of chili ... Congress should pass a law making it mandatory for all restaurants serving chili to follow a Texas recipe*: Harrius James(en), epistola (Tolbert (1972) pp. 12-14)
12. ↑  Tolbert (1972) pp. 19-20
13. ↑  *Pedernales River chili*: Claudia Alta Taylor Johnson, epistola (Tolbert (1972) pp. 14-15, ubi praeceptum datur)
14. ↑  Tolbert (1972) pp. 20-21
15. ↑  Tolbert (1972) pp. 43-45 ubi praeceptum datur
16. ↑  Tolbert (1972) pp. 58-61; Lindsay Boyers, "The 9 Best Canned Chilis of 2022" apud *The Spruce Eats*. Cf. [[:en:Wolf Brand Chili|]] apud Vicipaediam Anglicam
17. ↑  Tolbert (1972) p. 14; Popik (2007)
18. ↑  *The* chili-con-carne *made not from the beef or the chicken, but from the flesh of the* señorita*—young and tender ... Everee month you must eat of it ... before the moon is full*: Henry (1904) p. 755

Bibliographia
-------------

Capsicum e carne sine phaseolis inlatum
Capsicum e carne cum polenta e maizio aquaque minerali Bad Vöslau viatori in tramine inlatum
Fontes antiquiores
* 1828 : J. C. Clopper, ephemeris ("J. C. Clopper's Journal and Book of Memoranda for 1828" in *Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Association* vol. 13 [1909] pp. 44-80)
* c. 1842 : William Bollaert, commentaria (W. Eugene Hollon, Ruth Lapham Butler, edd. *William Bollaert's Texas* [Norman: University of Oklahoma, 1956] p. 218)
* 1846 : Susan Shelby Magoffin, ephemeris (Stella M. Drumm, ed. *Down the Santa Fe Trail and into Mexico: The Diary of Susan Shelby Magoffin, 1846–1847* [Novo Portu: Yale University Press, 1962] p. 94, cf. p. 150
* 1857 : S. Compton Smith, *Chile Con Carne, or The Camp and the Field*. Novi Eboraci: Miller & Curtis (Textus apud *Google Books*)
* 1870 : John C. Duval, *The Adventures of Big-Foot Wallace, the Texas ranger and hunter* (Macon Georgiae: J. W. Burke
* 1898 : H. C. Irish(es), "A revision of the genus Capsicum, with especial reference to garden varieties" in *Missouri Botanical Garden Annual Report* (1898) pp. 53-110, vide p. 59 "*Chilli con carne consists of the small pungent peppers finely ground and mixed with meat. It is much used in the Southern United States*"
* 1904 : O. Henry, "The Enchanted Kiss" in *Metropolitan Magazine* (Februario 1904) pp. 747-757; reimpressum in O. Henry, *Roads of Destiny* (1909) cf. pp. 197-212 editionis 1918 ("chili-con-carne")

Eruditio
* John G. Bourke, "The Folk-Foods of the Rio Grande Valley and of Northern Mexico" in *Journal of American Folklore* vol. 8 (1895) pp. 41-71, vide pp. 60-61 et 68
* Joe E. Cooper, *With or Without Beans*. Henson Texiae, 1952
* Gregory McNamee, *Tortillas, Tiswin and T-bones: a food history of the southwest* (Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 2017) pp. 70-71, 151, 187
* Keith J. Guenther, "The Development of the Mexican-American Cuisine" in \* Alan Davidson, ed. *National and Regional Styles of Cookery: Proceedings: Oxford Symposium 1981* (Londinii: Prospect Books, 1981) (pp. 262-285: vide pp. 273-279 apud *Google Books*)
* Jeffrey M. Pilcher, *Planet Taco: a global history of Mexican food* (Novi Eboraci: Oxford University Press, 2012) pp. 66-67
* Jeffrey M. Pilcher, Donna R. Gabaccia, "‘Chili Queens’ and Checkered Tablecloths: Public Dining Cultures of Italians in New York City and Mexicans in San Antonio, Texas, 1870s–1940s" in *Radical History Review* no. 110 (2011) pp. 109–126
* Frank X. Tolbert, *A Bowl of Red: A Natural History of Chili con Carne*. Garden City Novi Eboraci: Doubleday, 1972; 1a ed.: 1966 Exemplar mutuabile
* "The Appropriation of Mexican Foods" in Jennifer Jensen Wallach, *How America Eats: A Social History of U. S. Food and Culture* (Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2013) cap. 7
* "Chili con carne: the chili stands and the chili queens" in Robb Walsh, *The Tex-Mex Cookbook: A History in Recipes and Photos* (Novi Eboraci: Broadway Books, 2004) cap. 3

Praecepta culinaria
* 1877/1890 : *The Recipe Book of Lillie Hitchcock Coit* (editio Berkeleiae: Friends of the Bancroft Library, 1998)
* 1953 : Gaynor Maddox, "Allan Shivers Gives Venison Chili Recipe" in *Reporter-News* (Abilene Texiae, 19 Martii 1953) p. 15A fide Popik (2007)
* 1965 : Mary Faulk Koock, *The Texas Cookbook* (Denton Texiae: University of North Texas Press) p. 49 editionis 2001 (*Venison Chili*)
* 1986 : Joanne Smith, *Texas Highways Cookbook* (Austinopoli: University of Texas Press) p. 47 (*Venison Chili*)

Nexus interni
-------------

* Gastronomia Antoniopolitana

Nexus externi
-------------

* *Chili Appreciation Society International*
* Barry Popik, "Chile con Carne"
* Barry Popik, "Venison Chili (Deer Chili; Deer Meat Chili)"