Texas: the land of BBQ, breakfast tacos…and of course Tex-Mex. But what if we told you Tex-Mex wasn’t created by a Texan or Mexican, but a German immigrant? On this episode of Gravy, we tell you the story of William Gebhardt, the inventor of chili powder.

Learn more with these resources from the episode:

Books

Eight Flavors: The Untold Story of American Cuisine by Sarah Lohman
Truly Texas Mexican: A Native Culinary Heritage in Recipes by Adán Medrano
The Chili Cookbook by Robb Walsh
The Tex-Mex Cookbook by Robb Walsh

Music

New San Antonio Rose by Bob Willis & His Texas Playboys
Mal Hombre by Lydia Mendoza
Eclipse by Nicola Cruz
Waltz Across Texas by Ernest Tubb

Find additional resources here.

*Cover photo by Ben Dongarra for Texas Humane Heroes.

Ryan Katz is a radio and print journalist based in Austin, TX. He’s reported stories outside and inside of many large buildings – from gun shows to immigrant detention centers, soccer stadiums to money lenders. He’s worked at WBEZ and APM Reports. Feed him candy corn.