Dried red chiles are powdered after being sun-dried until they are very crisp. Red chile powder is an indispensable ingredient in most Indian dishes. The color and flavor of red chile powder depends on the variety of red chiles used to make the powder. A variety of chile powder made from the cayenne chile pepper is called Cayenne Pepper and is widely used in Caribbean and Spanish Cuisine.

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 (when it may be known as?chili powder blend). It is used as a spice to addpungency?or piquancy and flavor to dishes. In?American English?the name is usually spelled "chili", or, less commonly, "chile". In?British English?the spelling "chilli" (with two "l"s) is used consistently.

Chili powder is sometimes known by the specific type of chili pepper used (such as?cayenne pepper). It is used in many different cuisines, including?Tex-Mex,?Indian,?Chinese,?Koreanand Thai.

Chili powder blend is composed chiefly of?chili peppers?and blended with other spices including?cumin,?oregano,?garlic?powder, and?salt.?The chilis are most commonly either red chili peppers or?cayenne peppers, which are both of the species?Capsicum annuum; many types of hot?pepper?may be used, including?ancho,?jalape?o,?New Mexico, and?pasilla?chilis. As a result of the various potential additives, the spiciness of any given chili powder is variable.

Chili powder blends are especially popular in?American cuisine, where they are the primary flavor ingredient in?chili con carne. The first commercial blends of chili powder in the U.S. were created by D.C. Pendery and William Gebhardt for this dish.?Gebhardt opened Miller's Saloon in?New Braunfels, Texas. Chili was the town's favorite dish. However, chili peppers could only be found at certain times of the year. Gebhardt imported some?ancho?peppers from Mexico and ran the peppers through a small meat grinder three times and created the first commercial chili powder, which became available in 1894.