November 6th is National Nachos Day! Whether it’s just for a snack, your lunch, or even your evening meal, enjoy a big plate of nachos as you celebrate National Nachos Day! In their most basic form, nachos are typically tortilla chips covered in melted cheese (specifically nacho cheese), and served with salsa!
Dating back to their creation in around 1943, while nachos are of Mexican origin, they are prepared and devoured by people all over the world! For those that want to add a little pizazz to their plate, other popular toppings found on nachos include re-fried beans, ground beef, shredded beef, chicken, seafood, shredded cheese, jalapeno peppers, green pepper, lettuce, tomatoes, black olives, onion, sour cream, and guacamole.
It is believed that Ignaci “Nacho” Anaya created the original nachos in the city of Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico, just across the border from Eagle Pass, Texas. The story is told of a group of wives of United States soldiers stationed at Fort Duncan in Eagle Pass were in Piedras Negras on a shopping trip. When done shopping, they arrived late to a restaurant after it had closed for the day. Ignacio “Nacho” Anaya served them a snack that he invented from what little was available in the kitchen: tortillas and cheese. Anaya cut the tortillas into triangles, topped them with shredded cheddar cheese and quickly heated them. He then added sliced jalapeno peppers and served them to the ladies. When Anaya was asked what the dish was called, he replied, “Nacho’s especiales“. As the word of this new creation traveled, people tried them, loved them and overtime, the name changed and Nacho’s “specials” became “special nachos”.