It all comes down to what you mean by "chili." If what you mean is chili con carne then it must have meat, as the meaning is chili peppers with meat. When I hear the word chili I am thinking of the pepper, and various meat and vegetable dishes made with a chili pepper gravy.

I saw a history program about pemmican (a mix of fat, jerky and berries), and the provisions early americans carried. They said people would take a mix of pemmican, dried beans and vegetables and make it into a brick that could be easily stored, transported and traded, as well as boiled and eaten. If that happened to have dried chili pepper as a seasoning, I would call it "chili" when served. Otherwise I might call it "beans.". In this modern life I have seen various "chili" mixes in sacks or in jars that contained dried beans, vegetables and chili spices (no meat or fat), and I have also seen vegetarian chili. Vegetarian chili is not compatible with chili con carne, but it can be compatible with chili.

I stand by my claim :D

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