7

We had an office chili cook-off recently (I didn't enter). Two of the chili recipes presented used cinnamon predominately, perhaps even overpoweringly (IMO). Given that they also heavily sweetened their chili with honey and sugar, both had a cinnamon dessert flavor profile mixed with a bland tomato/beef profile. In a word, "yuck!"

In searching today, I've seen several recipes around calling for the use of cinnamon in chili. I could see it maybe being a background flavoring to add a mild spicy bite and a touch of earthiness. But, some recipes seem to be pretty heavy in it's use.

I'm assuming the office cooks didn't develop the right flavor (unless going for a dessert chili was their objective). What kind of flavor profile would be the right one to develop when using cinnamon in chili?

Community
  • 1
jfrankcarr
  • 171
  • 1
  • 1
  • 5

8 Answers8

19

Cinnamon adds a different spice profile than chili powder or red or cayenne pepper would. It is a common savory spice in Indian food and I believe it's also used in savory dishes in Chinese cooking. It's a very versatile spice :).

We also use cocoa powder in our chili as it provides a real depth of flavor (dark bitter flavors which are quite good in chili).

Both of these add some curiosity and difference to the chili without themselves adding sweetness. Usually they get added as a fairly safe way to add something "different" to standard chili.

wax eagle
  • 1,050
  • 9
  • 18
4

I often put some of a cinnamon stick in my chilli, along with cardamon and bay leaf. (probably not traditional at all). It adds to the flavor without it becoming desert like. I guess it is because the flavor is infused making it more subtle.

I haven't tried using ground cinnamon in a chilli, I should imagine that it would taste as you are describing.

Jeremy French
  • 2,003
  • 3
  • 20
  • 27
4

cinnamon is a basis flavor of Cincinnati style chili, it has some inherent heat as well as sweetness to it. Chili benefits from both, but I don't like Cincinnati style chili where you can "taste" the cinnamon.

Lots of chili recipes have seemingly odd and unusual ingredients including, jams and jellies, as well as chocolate.

Escoce
  • 6,330
  • 1
  • 18
  • 23
2

I read online that cinnamon cuts the acid in tomatoes using 1/4 tsp for a batch of sauce or chili. This was a great tip for me as I didn't like the acidic tomatoe flavour of my chili.

Anne
  • 21
  • 1
1

If you look way back to the original chili con carne recipes from the early 19th century, you'll often find that cinnamon was a common ingredient in chili because it was indigenous to Tejas region. Also, tomato was not a typical ingredient. With pasta sauce, sugar is often used to help tone down the acidity of the tomato. So as people use sugar to help tone down the acidity of their chili, any recipe that also incorporates cinnamon will likely evoke a dessert-ish flavor. For this reason, if your recipe uses tomato, it may be a good idea to skip out on the cinnamon altogether!

Travis Fisk
  • 11
  • 1
1

I use both sugar and cinnamon to my chili if I had made it too spicy. It does not taste like a dessert at all... I think the faint taste of the cinnamon gives you a warm, cozy feeling. Just a little is all it takes.

Rachael Lynn
  • 11
  • 1
1

Cincinnati chili and Greek chili use cinnamon. Cinnamon adds a sweet flavor to chili.

A family recipe for spaghetti uses cinnamon. It's a traditional recipe from Mikinos, Greece.

Sensii Miller
  • 209
  • 2
  • 8
0

The extreme end of that spectrum would be the indian dish "Rajma Masala", which is a bean dish with a tomato/onion sauce that has most of the spices (cumin, coriander seed, the whole set of "baking" spices .. no cocoa/coffee though :) ) considered optional in a chili by default.

rackandboneman
  • 15,337
  • 3
  • 39
  • 56