Why put cinnamon in chili?

Question

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?

In many cultures (think Indian, for instance) cinnamon is used for salty dishes rather than sweets. I cannot comment on the dishes you had, but definitely I would not say cinnamon equals dessert — nico, Oct 06 '12 at 23:22
@nico - It was the heavy use of sugar/honey and cinnamon together that gave them a partially dessert like taste. It might have worked better without the sweetness. — jfrankcarr, Oct 07 '12 at 01:41
@Blessed Geek: how do you define a taste as "wrong"? Do you mean you do not like it? — nico, Oct 07 '12 at 09:56
@nico - Honey and sugar, and then cinnamon in chili? Sure sounds wrong to me. — PoloHoleSet, Aug 24 '16 at 16:40
@AndrewMattson you probably are used to those in desserts so they sound and taste like desserts to you... for instance cinnamon, honey, and sugar are common ingredients in Moroccan tajine dishes... — nico, Aug 25 '16 at 10:54
@nico - And chili is not a Moroccan dish. I'm not talking about being opposed to the flavors, in general, but it's not chili. — PoloHoleSet, Aug 25 '16 at 13:38
@AndrewMattson I'm just saying that it's not unusual to put those ingredients in a meat dish. Not saying that it's the original recipe or anything but, hey, if you put it in the right amount it can taste good and not "desserty" at all! Then as for any recipe it's down to personal taste... — nico, Aug 25 '16 at 14:42
@nico - and I'm just saying, specifically, IN CHILI. You add sugar and honey to chili it's not going to taste like chili. Add those and cinnamon, it's not chili. That makes it "wrong" when talking about chili. Look at my original comment. I'm telling you why the answer says it's "wrong," because the question is very specific to chili, not "general stewed meat dishes that have some spices added." — PoloHoleSet, Aug 25 '16 at 14:49
@AndrewMattson people put chicken on pizza, it's disgusting but it's still pizza... and if you google "honey chili" or "cinnamon chili" you do find plenty of recipes... so here you go! http://www.food.com/recipe/1-spicy-sweet-honey-chili-78123 http://suebee.com/10-chili-recipes-with-honey/ http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/chilliconcarne_67875 — nico, Aug 25 '16 at 15:59
@nico - there's nothing about what makes a pizza a pizza the would preclude chicken. Koreans, for example, love Spam, and sometimes roll in up in rice and seaweed just like sushi. They even call it "Spam sushi." It's not sushi. If I were to ask the best way to incorporate Buffalo chicken wing hot sauce into Beef Bourguignon, someone may like the flavors, there may be Internet recipes calling it that, but that doesn't mean it's still Beef Bourguignon. The flavor profile you are talking about is not one of chili. Just because you like the flavors doesn't change that. — PoloHoleSet, Aug 25 '16 at 16:17
Well, it would be difficult to dispute that we don't agree, at this point. :P — PoloHoleSet, Aug 29 '16 at 20:13

score 19 · Accepted Answer · answered Oct 07 '12 at 03:01

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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.

answered Oct 07 '12 at 03:01

wax eagle

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+1 The cinnamon and cocoa make the chili reminiscent of a mole sauce. – Sobachatina Oct 07 '12 at 03:10
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Cinnamon adds a warm spiciness that compliments the raw heat of chilli. – ElendilTheTall Oct 07 '12 at 08:43
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Cinnamon is traditional in Cincinnati style chili. – SAJ14SAJ May 16 '13 at 15:02
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Half a cup of strong coffee will add a nice darkness too. I can't find any refs to cardamom in chili, but surely someone's tried it. – Wayfaring Stranger May 16 '13 at 16:16
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@WayfaringStranger strong coffee is a common way to make a quick mole sauce and would be a fantastic addition to chili (my wife doesn't do any caf though so it's out for me :(). – wax eagle May 17 '13 at 01:25

score 4 · Answer 2 · answered Oct 08 '12 at 10:17

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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.

answered Oct 08 '12 at 10:17

Jeremy French

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I find cardamon makes a great sometimes addition to change up my chili recipe(s). – Wayfaring Stranger Jan 02 '17 at 21:26

score 4 · Answer 3 · answered Mar 09 '15 at 19:32

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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.

answered Mar 09 '15 at 19:32

Escoce

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Chocolate is almost always cocoa powder or bitter chocolate, not sweet, though. – PoloHoleSet Aug 25 '16 at 16:19
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It's important to distinguish between Cincinnati chili (which has a sauce based on a Greek recipe served on top of spaghetti noodles, often topped with kidney beans, raw onion, and cheese) and chili served in most of the rest of the US. Although, the fact that they're totally different dishes doesn't stop some people from combining the recipes into a hybrid disaster. – mrog Jun 05 '18 at 23:06
@mrog - well, there was an award-winning chili cook who had a little stand in Pike Place Market (Seattle) who made a terrific "Cincinnati chili" along with 3 other (more traditional varieties). He thought they could all be sold together at a chili stand. (Though he did serve it on those tiny little "shell" pastas ...) – davidbak Oct 22 '18 at 05:34
@davidbak I wouldn't call it Cincinnati chili unless it's served on spaghetti noodles like they do in Cincinnati. But, maybe he found a way to make it better. That wouldn't be hard to do, in my opinion. Every time I've ordered chili in Cincinnati, I've always been disappointed. – mrog Oct 22 '18 at 16:28

score 2 · Answer 4 · answered May 16 '13 at 14:38

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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.

answered May 16 '13 at 14:38

Anne

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I agree this is a good use of cinnamon in Chili and such, in such a small amount as to not be consciously noticeable yet adding character to the flavor. Especially good for American palates that may not be used to heavier usage with savory dishes as seen in Indian, Chinese, or other cultures. – Basil Bourque Feb 17 '16 at 22:09

score 1 · Answer 5 · answered Aug 24 '16 at 05:23

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!

score 1 · Answer 6 · answered Aug 29 '16 at 00:03

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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.

answered Aug 29 '16 at 00:03

Rachael Lynn

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score 1 · Answer 7 · answered Jan 02 '17 at 06:28

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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.

answered Jan 02 '17 at 06:28

Sensii Miller

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score 0 · Answer 8 · answered Aug 29 '16 at 08:09

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.

Why put cinnamon in chili?

8 Answers8