Secret Ingredient: Chili Peppers Win Cook Offs…and Might Have Medical Benefits
Chili cook offs have found their way from the Southwestern United States to Asia, and they have brought with them spicy tales
The rotund middle-aged man in a stained apron reached furtively into an innocent-looking lunch box full of bags of mysterious multi-colored peppers.
He carefully examined the burnt orange and light brown peppers in unmarked sandwich bags before pinching out small amounts and dropping them into a boiling cauldron of chili con carne.
As a fellow competitor in the cook off, I tried to get a sniff of his secret ingredients. He said he picked them up at from a biker gang he encountered at a truck stop in Nogales, Arizona. Before I could challenge him on his tale and seek more details, he waved me off with a wooden spoon.
The scene would be a familiar one at a chili cook-off in Texas, Arizona or New Mexico. But this was in the Philippines. Chili cook-offs — or contests to see who can make this spicy, traditionally Western United States recipe in a fixed time — are common in North America but rare in Asia.
The U.S. Navy, which set up its base in Subic Bay in the early 1900s, reportedly brought chili and chili cook-offs to the Philippines, along with many American sailors. The U.S. Navy left the Philippines in the early 1990s, but many of the sailors retired in the country and kept cooking chili.
And when it comes to their chili, the conversation inevitably turns to peppers.
One former sailor, who has been in the Philippines for more than 20 years, tells of making chili on the former U.S. Navy base using a pepper that a fellow sailor had brought back from a trip to India. The pepper was so powerful that he put it in a sock so he could find it later and extract it. He wanted the heat from the pepper, but not the excruciating pepper itself.
After a few too many beers, he fell asleep with the chili cooking for hours. When he awoke, he tried to fish out the sock, but it was gone. “There was nothing left,” he says. “The pepper had eaten the sock.”
Or so the story goes.
The science of spice
Chili peppers are native to South America but over the years they have found their way into the cuisine of countries around the world. They are an integral part of meals around the world, from tropical Southeast Asia to the deserts of the Middle East and the wide open spaces of the American midwest.
Chili peppers today are cultivated in a variety of different ways that affect their color and flavor, but they are all powered by the active ingredient capsaicin, the chemical that causes them to have that stinging flavor in the mouth.
Chili peppers not only have a rich culinary history but they have been used as a traditional medicine for centuries by indigenous groups, particularly in Latin America.
They’ve been used to help with coughs, toothaches, sore throats, infections caused by parasites, rheumatism, and even in healing wounds. In traditional medicine, peppers are known for their antiseptic qualities, ability to soothe irritation, boost appetite, act as antioxidants, and support the immune system.
In recent years, chili peppers have become increasingly popular in many countries as a herbal remedy, with the hope that they provide relief for ailments without the side effects of pharmaceuticals. There are some encouraging studies to support this.
One review of multiple studies on animals and humans looked at how red pepper and capsaicin affect the risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.
The findings suggest that peppers and their key ingredient can indeed help reduce obesity, improve cholesterol levels, control diabetes, and lower blood pressure. It’s no miracle drug and it must be combined with diet, exercise and other medications but the studies found a clearly positive effect.
Keeping secrets
For the earnest chefs at the chili cook-off in the Philippines, it’s not about discovering the secrets of peppers. It’s about keeping them secret. One chef keeps his in unmarked baggies to protect his secret recipe from competitors.
At a recent cook-off near Subic Bay, in the northern Philippines, a booming sound system played a Kenny Rogers song in the background while a dozen ovens poured flames under huge cooking pots.
The chef with the stained apron and secret ingredients was drenched in sweat as he labored over his concoction. He has been competing in chili cook-offs for more than 30 years, and has won his fair share, but he remains philosophical about it.
“Never give up on your own recipes,” he said, taking a break from the cauldron. “It should be made with right taste, color and that nice way it warms you any time of the year.”
“And most important,” he said, before turning back to his precious concoction. “Keep your peppers secret.”
This story was brought to you by Rooted, a publication dedicated to deep dives through food and drink culture. They are for entertainment and informational purposes only and should not be considered as nutritional or health advice.
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Nutritional claims across Rooted should not be considered medical advice.
