Readers: There's no such thing as Colorado green chile!

Doubters! Although anyone who lives and eats in Denver quickly recognizes that Colorado cuisine includes a particular variation of green chile -- goopy, soupy and porkorific -- there are still those who doubt that there's a particular green native to this state. Blixco for example; New Mexico invented the stuff...

By Patricia Calhoun

April 27, 2011

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Doubters! Although anyone who lives and eats in Denver quickly recognizes that Colorado cuisine includes a particular variation of green chile -- goopy, soupy and porkorific -- there are still those who doubt that there's a particular green native to this state.

Blixco for example;

New Mexico invented the stuff. Green chile stew is a native invention. Silly Coloradans. Stick to the Plains foods you do well (beer, for instance).

And Lingrish:

never even heard of Colorado-style chile. Sound kinda scary. I'd have to taste it. Hatch is still my choice. Whoever called chile hot snot is just that, snot.

Casey Brown goes further:

"Native to this state"? Puh-lease! I've had green chile (or more often chile verde) throughout the west, from Montana to New Mexico, Colorado to Nevada. I have a hard time believing the dish originated here (unless you're referring to the mediocre version prominent throughout Denver--gloppy and overly thickened with flour, using canned chiles, and only having the occasional fleck of pork.)

By all means, keep writing about it. And it's only natural that everyone will have their own favorite version. But please stop pretending the dish (or people's love of it) is somehow unique to Denver.

And, once again, Mantonat gets the final word:

I think Casey meant Ted's Montana. If you Google Montana and green chile, this blog is one of the top results.

Find our "Five Best Green Chile Fixes" here.

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Patricia Calhoun is editor-in-chief of Westword, the alt-weekly she co-founded in September 1977. She’s been inducted into the Colorado Press Association Hall of Fame, the Association of Alternative Newsmedia Hall of Fame and the Colorado Restaurant Association Hall of Fame. She’s also received dozens of local, state and national awards for writing, including first place for feature writing and first place for column writing with the Society of Professional Journalists. Patricia is a weekly commentator on Colorado Inside Out, PBS 12's public affairs roundtable, which has won two Emmys.

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