this post was submitted on 06 Sep 2024
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All that colonizing, and for what!? (lemmy.world)
submitted 3 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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[–] [email protected] 21 points 3 months ago (2 children)

Apparently the British did use spices until world war 2. Then it was decided that shipping is limited and spices were a luxury when the island needed an unending supply of food and guns.

Then instead of starting right back up in 1946, food remained an issue for the British through the 1950's. So the lack of spices became more accepted. It's the same reason America still has depression era dishes like chili.

Britain is actually starting to use spices again, just like the American beer scene is finally recovering from prohibition.

[–] [email protected] 21 points 3 months ago (1 children)

If chili is a depression food then bring on more depression food I say.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (2 children)

Well there's always been the idea of the anything soup or stew. Chili is really just the American take on it. It's popularity right now though is very much tied to the depression.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (2 children)

I always thought that chili was from the cowboys of the old West. The one that existed, not Hollywood's/ Italy's version.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 months ago

Wikipedia gives a decently quick tour of chili's evolution.

I've been spouting about the "chili queens" of old San Antonio as the origin, but it sounds like they were more significant as an early analog to food trucks that drove chili across cultural gaps. The origin of that food sounds like it originated back, at least, to indigenous peoples and does sound like a staple of cowboys/vaqueros long before the Great Depression.

Then there's Cincinnati-style chili, "developed by Macedonian and Greek immigrants, deriving from their own culinary traditions", so that merging of another style under the same name might muddy the water when it comes to talking about the origin of spiced meat bits.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago

Stuff like chili often already exists somewhere before it gets popularized. The depression certainly didn't invent American style spiced beef stew. But much like cowboy breakfast (beans, salted pork, coffee) it was simple, cheap, and could stretch protein to feed a whole family.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Also a pretty easy meal if you have depression

[–] [email protected] 0 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Yup, I can vouch for that. Actually it's about time I made some again...

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Is it 3am where you are?

[–] [email protected] -1 points 3 months ago

Isn't it always? Don't tell me you get to see the sun?

[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 months ago

Ha ha "starting" to use spices again lol

Nice info from 60 years ago