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[[Image:BolivianChilePowder2.JPG|thumb|Chile Powder for sale in Bolivia]]
'''Chili powder''' (also spelled '''chile powder''') is a generic name for any powdered [[spice mix]] composed chiefly of [[chili peppers]], most commonly either red peppers or [[cayenne peppers]], which are both of the species [[Capsicum annuum]]. The spice mix may simply be pure powdered chilis, or it may have other additives, especially [[cumin]], [[oregano]], and [[garlic]].
<ref>{{Citation | last = Brown | first = Alton | author-link = Alton Brown | title = The Big Chili | work = [[Good Eats]] | publisher = [[Food Network]] | date = [[2004-08-18]] | url = http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_28230,00.html | accessdate = 2007-09-11 }}</ref><ref>{{Citation | last = Bradshaw | first = Eleanor | title = How to Make Your Own Chili Powder; or, Some Like it Hot | publisher = Texas Cooking Online, Inc. | date = June 1997 | year = 1997 | url = http://www.texascooking.com/features/jun97chilepowder.htm | accessdate = 2007-09-11 }} </ref> Some mixes may even include [[black pepper]], [[cinnamon]], [[cloves]], [[coriander]], [[mace (spice)|mace]], [[nutmeg]], or [[turmeric]]. {{fact|date=September 2007}} As a result of the various different potential additives, the spiciness of any given chili powder is incredibly variable. As a rule, the purer the chili powder is, the more spicy it is.

Use of powdered chili peppers can be traced, at its earliest, to [[Indian cuisine]], where such powders were used in curry dishes, but today they are especially popular in [[Americas|American]] cuisine, where they are the primary flavor ingredient in [[chili con carne]]. The first commercial blends of chili powder in the [[United States|U.S.]] were created in the 1890s by D.C. Pendery and William Gebhardt for precisely this dish. <ref>{{Citation | last1 = DeWitt | first1 = Dave | last2 = Gerlach | first2 = Nancy | title = Chili Conquers the U.S.A. | work = The Great Chili con Carne Project | publisher = Fiery-Foods.com | year = 2003 | url = http://www.fiery-foods.com/dave/chiliconcarne2.asp | accessdate = 2007-09-11 }}</ref>

==References==
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{{Herbs & spices}}

[[Category:Spices]]