Texas designated chili con carne as its official state dish in 1977.
Chili con carne, usually shortened to chili, is a stew made with chili peppers, meat, and seasonings. Texas-style chili traditionally emphasizes beef and chiles and often omits beans, although recipes vary widely across families, restaurants, and competitions.
The dish has deep connections to Texas history. San Antonio’s Chili Queens helped popularize bowls of seasoned meat and chiles in public plazas during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Their outdoor stands became an important part of the city’s food culture and helped spread the image of chili as a distinctly Texan dish.
The 1977 designation did not settle every recipe dispute. Texans still debate beans, tomatoes, meat cuts, and spice blends. The official recognition instead reflects chili’s cultural importance to Texas and its central place in Tex-Mex food history.