During a trip to Prague he learned that Czech goulash is actually Hungarian “cowboy soup.” Gulyas (goulash) in Hungarian means “cowboy,” named for cowboys who herded cattle on the Great Hungarian Plain in the 19th century. The link between Hungarian goulash and Texas chili is the cowboy cultures where cattle-drive meals were made with meat and peppers. The connection grows even stronger, Walsh uncovered, in that the production of commercial paprika powder inspired German immigrant William Gebhardt to create an ancho chile powder in New Braunfels in 1899. Gebhardt’s Eagle Brand Chili Powder, made with ancho chile, cumin and oregano, eventually became so popular and prevalent that it “standardized the flavor of chili con carne across the country,” Walsh writes.
I think that’s what Walsh is saying, too: Texans would not have chili or even our chili powder except for the influences from Hungarian cowboys and their goulash (and he lists other influences too, from the Aztecs to the Canary Islands and Morocco, and he destroys us with this bomb: the oldest chili he found was in Illinois!).
I mean, but surely it’s true that we Texans invented ice!
I hail from New England and goulash was browned hamburger along with chopped onion, tomato sauce, s & p mixed with boiled elbow macaroni. My mother made it up the night before to let the flavors meld. Heated up the next night after she got home from work. Served with green shaker cheese. Loved it.
Also, Texas is the largest state because ice doesn’t count.
