Chili powder Chili powder Chili powder (also powdered chili, chile powder or chilli powder) is the dried, pulverized fruit of one or more varieties of chili pepper, sometimes with the addition of other spices (also sometimes known as chili powder blend). It is used as a spice to add pungency or piquancy and flavor to dishes. In American English, the name is usually spelled "chili". In British English the spelling "chilli" (with two "l"s) is used consistently. Chili powder is used in many different cuisines, including American cuisine, particularly in Tex-Mex, Chinese, Indian, Korean, Mexican, Portuguese, and Thai. Chili powder blends are
Spice This development kept the spice trade, with America as a late comer with its new seasonings, profitable well into the 19th century. One issue with spices today is dilution, where spices are blended to make inferior quality powdered spices, by including roots, skins and other admixture in production of spice powder. A spice may be available in several forms: fresh, whole dried, or pre-ground dried. Generally, spices are dried. Spices may be ground into a powder for convenience. A whole dried spice has the longest shelf life, so it can be purchased and stored in larger amounts, making it cheaper