Chili or Chili con Carne: What’s the Difference?

“Chili con carne” means “chili with meat” in Spanish. Most traditional chili recipes include meat, from Texas chili to the earliest examples of beef slow-cooked in a spicy, smoky sauce found in Mexico. If you order “chili con carne,” you can count on it having meat in it, probably beef. But if you order “chili,” you can’t be sure that you’ll get meaty chili. Vegetarian chili and vegan chili recipes are popular, too (not to mention pretty tasty), and there’s no meat in those. They mostly just have beans, though they can have lots of other veggies, too. Either way, if it says “chili,” it’s probably going to be good, but if you want meat in yours, look for “chili con carne” to be sure.