Chili Madness (Paperback)

by Jane Butel (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Jane Butel, widely regarded as the expert on Southwest cooking, traveled the country judging chili contests and coaxing recipes. Here are 37 of the best, along with cookoff directions, chili history, lore, mail-order sources, and more. "Tame or torrid, simple or exotic, there is a chili for everyone."--House & Garden. Photos throughout.

From the Back Cover
CHILI MADNESS

More than 35 best & tested recipes

FIRST-LOVE CHILI

GRINGO CHILI

PECOS RIVER BOWL OF RED

MURRAY'S GIRLFRIEND'S CINCINNATI CHILI

BUZZARD'S BREATH CHILI

HY ABERNATHY'S GEORGIA CHAIN-GANG CHILI

SANTA CLARA CHILI

CARROLL SHELBY'S CHILI

RENO RED

NAVAJO GREEN CHILI

Plus Legendary Origins & Spiritual Beginnings. Also Controversies & Further Crazines. Peppers & Powders. Go-Togethers & Cool-Downs. Mail-Order Sources Nationwide.

Go wild. Join chili societies, enter cook-offs, get the newsletters. Learn all the Methods to Chili Madness, and everything about the bowl of blessedness, the soup of the devil, the "strictly American" brew.

"Jane Butel has dedicated herself to prove to the public that chili has a taste all its own. Her credentials are authentic." (The New York Times)

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Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Workman Publishing Company; Other Printing edition (January 11, 1980)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0894801341
• ISBN-13: 978-0894801341
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 8 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #831,551 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of my most-used cook books, February 26, 2001

By	Joanna Daneman (Middletown, DE USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)

This book came out in 1980 at the start of the Chili Craze. Contests were being held all over the US for best chili. Every weekend you could find a Chili Cook-off or Chili Tasting anywhere from hot-pepper-hating New England to 12-alarm-fire-chili-loving Texas. Even the Simpsons ended up doing a chili cook-off spoof (The Guatemalan Insanity Pepper episode is really great animation and very funny, too.)

I have made many of the chilis in the book, going so far as to buy the required chili pequenos, chili colorado and other special chilis in the recipes. Yes, they make a difference. And the book even has Cincinnati 5-Way Chili, which purists will scorn as "not REALLY chili" but which is addictive and great for guests who hate hot spices. (5-way chili is a slighty sweet, cinnamon spiced chili probably influenced by Middle-East immigrants in Cincinnati. It is served 2-way, 3-way or 5-way with onions, beans, cheese, and spaghetti. It's fun for kids, who can make up their own garnished dish.) The Texas Style hot chilis are really gorgeous. This is one of my all-time favorite books and I don't think in 20 years, anyone has really written a better book on chili than Jane Butel.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Chili Classic, December 5, 2006

By	'MaryLou Cheatham "The Collard Patch" (Louisiana) - See all my reviews

CHILI MADNESS, A PASSIONATE COOKBOOK BY JANE BUTEL, is as hot as a bowl of her chili. CHILI MADNESS contains more than 35 of the recipes for chili that she has collected. Each recipe has a little story about the source of the recipe. The book is red-hot reading.

Even more interesting than the recipes is "The Irresistible Passion" at the beginning of the book. This section contains:
· Origins of the Bowl of Blessedness, a fascinating historical account of the birth of chili
· Chili Makings, a primer with pictures of types of chiles, an explanation of preparation of chiles, and a discussion of other common chili ingredients
· Basic Training - Methods to Chili Madness, a basic chili cooking lesson
· Chili Cookoffs, essential information about the social skills of chili cooking contests
CHILI MADNESS is a classic that every American cook needs.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best!, November 13, 1998

By A Customer

I've taken pride in my chili for 50 years. These are some of the BEST recipes I've ever tried. Kudos to Jane Butel Ginger Hamilton Westminster, Colorado