It’s February 28, and it’s not too late to simmer of pot of chili. Today, the nation acknowledges its love of chili by observing National Chili Day.

A brief (and suggested) history from the folks behind National Chili Day:

While many food historians agree that chili con carne is an American dish with Mexican roots, Mexicans are said to indignantly deny any association with the dish. 

Enthusiasts of chili say one possible though far-fetched starting point comes from Sister Mary of Agreda, a Spanish nun in the early 1600s who never left her convent yet had out-of-body experiences in which her spirit was transported across the Atlantic to preach Christianity to the Indians. After one of the return trips, her spirit wrote down the first recipe for chili con carne: chili peppers, venison, onions, and tomatoes.

www.nationalchiliday.com