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
South Indian cuisine mildest in terms of spice content among the cuisines of the five south Indian states, the traditional cuisine of Karnataka is known for its generous use of jaggery, palm sugar and limited use of chili powder; however, Northern Karnataka cuisine, which can be extremely hot in taste, is an exception. Since the percentage of vegetarians in Karnataka is higher than that of other southern states, vegetarian food enjoys widespread popularity. In North Karnataka, the staple grains are sorghum and pearl millet, along with rice. Rotis made out of these two grains, along with side dishes made of eggplant, fresh spiced