The World’s First Chili Powder!

In the late 1600’s, Canary Islanders settled in old La Villita just outside the Mission San Antonio de Bajar (known today as The Alamo). All their lives they had been accustomed to preparing stews and curries in the Canary Islands. Here in the New World their familiar spices and seasonings were unavailable. So, they used the spices and seasonings native to the area… Mexican Ancho peppers, oregano, onions, garlic and other native herbs that had been common to Mexican cooking for generations. What they created became known as Chili.

The women of the village would make their Chili at home in copper kettles, which took most of the day. Around sundown, they would come from their houses into the plaza. Along the sidewalks they’d spread out red cloths on the ground and build a fire to keep the Chili hot. Passers by were invited to dine and they would sit on the ground and eat the Chili from hand-made earthen dishes.

The first individual to take a scientific look at the preparation of Mexican food, and particularly the ingredients and preparation of Chili, was William Gebhardt of New Braunfels, Texas. Around 1890, he first ground together all of the original chili flavor ingredients and blended them into a powder. Sealed in air-tight glass containers, the powder remained full strength and fresh until used. This was the world’s first ‘Chili Powder”.

Willie continued to innovate, experimenting with new recipes and inventing different techniques and better equipment. Now, more than a hundred years later, 78 different Mexican food products bear his name. The Gebhardt brand has become a byword for quality and Gebhardt products are sold in all 50 States as well in 19 other countries worldwide.