Chili Nation (Paperback)

by Jane Stern (Author), Michael Stern (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
From Chili a la Whistle Stop (Alabama) to Serious Capitol Punishment Chili (District of Columbia) to Code 10 Chili (Wyoming), you'll find every imaginable version of what the authors describe as our "one truly national shared food." There are chilies with beans and without, with meat and without, green chilies, and many variations on the classic "bowl o'red." The Sterns' Roadfood (1976) and other books on American food are well known, and their latest is fun to browse through. For most collections.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Jane and Michael Stern document that every state in the Union has its own approach to chili, the Texas-created national dish. Devotees of the original "bowl of red" may fume in protest that Maryland's shrimp and crabmeat in cream sauce lightly rouged with chili powder stretches the definition of chili beyond the breaking point. Michigan's Upper Peninsula stuffs its miners' pasties with chili instead of the traditional meat and rutabaga filling. Washington State spikes its chili with plenty of coffee. Florida crosses chili with Cuban picadillo. Vermont mellows out the bite of chili peppers with maple syrup. And what does Hawaii do? Naturally, it studs its chili with chunks of macadamia nuts. One can read this book as the triumph of spicy cooking across the breadth of America or as a perversion of authentic ethnic cookery. Mark Knoblauch

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Broadway; 1 edition (January 5, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0767902637
• ISBN-13: 978-0767902632
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #551,084 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Variety is the spice of life, February 28, 2002

By	David G. Smith (Fairfax, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

So, I got me a dilemma, and here it is. I am a very creative person who occasionally has to find things that a four year old will eat. This is the great book for all my needs. Gotta cook at home? Little four year old yummy, not too spicy extravaganza? American Chop Suey Chili from Maine. Maybe a little Kansas Chili. Want to prove I am an experimental guy....How bout Boilermaker Chili. Want to burn some mouths at a pot luck? Tigua Indian Bowl Of Red.
Again, The Sterns are geniuses. I have had some of my favorite meals, at home or on the road(and gained some of my favorite pounds) because of them. But this book is a cultural geography lesson and a daddies dream in one. I don't see this as being a knockoff or reproduced. I see this as a celebration of the large amount of chili recipes that represent our nation. This is the kind of patriotism I want to celebrate, a diverse and spicy nation....and this book does it from soup(some of the chilis are thin) to nuts(macademia....Hawaiian Chili.)

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great little book that's worth more than the ticket price, March 19, 2004

By	Threemoons "threemoons" (Astoria, NY United States) - See all my reviews

I admit--I first got this book on a whim to top up an order for Super Saver Shipping. It's now one of my most reached-for cookbooks, and is almost falling apart from use! CAVEAT: Don't buy this book unless you have access to most of the various chilies--fresh, dried, and canned--in the book; using the listed ingredients really DOES make a difference. However, the Internet is a great resource for finding hard-to-find items, and dried chilies stay forever in a bag in the freezer. Also, the contents of an opened can can be frozen in a baggie...having said that, I have won more than one informal pot-luck prize with the gems in this book.

Not all chili has to be watery, or contain starch--many of the recipes are for what I call "Texas-style" recipes--all meat, no beans--which leaves you to choose your own side-dish to temper the heat. This book runs the gamut of recipes from ultra-mild to very hot, vegetarian to carnivore paradise. Almost every single recipe requires only one pot, and can easily be increased for a crowd. For solitary folks, nothing beats a batch of chilie--eat half over a few days and freeze the rest for a great meal when you're in a rush.

Get this one and have fun!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I can't decide which chili to make next!, February 4, 1999

By A Customer

If you like chili at all, you'll enjoy this book. It has a chili recipe from each of the 50 states, plus DC. Some are specific recipes from restaurants or diners the authors chanced upon; others are just indicative of regional cooking. If I have one complaint, it's that some of the recipes call for hard-to-find ingredients, but I think they'll be worth seeking out. The recipes have been great so far--I've cooked for friends by asking, "Which state do you want to go to?"