These days, every food seems to have it’s own day of celebration. Some foods you would never expect to be celebrated; for instance, nachos.
National Nachos Day rolls around every year on November 6th to show off its history along with delicious chips and melted cheese.
Nachos typically consist of tortilla chips smothered in cheese and topped with fresh jalapeño peppers. Through the evolution of nachos, beans, salsa, and sour cream became an option, thus creating the “loaded nachos.”
Nachos came alive in 1943 in the small town of Piedra Negras. In that Texas border town, Ignacio Anaya was working at the Victory Club, a restaurant across from the Rio Grande River, when he was hit with a rush of customers and no chef to be found.
He ran into the kitchen, scrambling around to find anything that would make do for a tasty meal. The only foods he could find were tortillas and cheese. His mind frantically searched for a way to make the two foods work together.
He began cutting the tortillas into triangles, sprinkling cheese on top and putting them into the oven to melt together. After topping them with jalapeño peppers, this became the first-ever recipe of the famous nacho dish.
As word began to spread about Anaya’s delicious nachos, they made their way across the border. They are typically served at Mexican restaurants but more prominently seen at U.S. sporting events, becoming a popular snack food in U.S. culture.
Frank Liberto started selling nachos at the Arlington Stadium in the 1970s — the Texas Rangers stadium. While he created a nonperishable cheese that kept the nachos on the stand much longer, there was a time when concession stand operators would not supply the cheese topping due to fear that introducing these cheesy dips chips would out shine their other products (i.e. hot dogs, popcorn, soda pop, etc.). Luckily enough, all items remain on the menu to this day and the current average in sales made of nachos is 47% – 64%.
With all of the fame that followed what was an accidental creation, National Nachos Day was founded.
— By Ewageck
Raised in California and Colorado, U.S.A. Wageck believes each state has its own culture. In traveling the world, she is able to learn what she can share with society and other people. After traveling and truly experiencing the world, she plans one day to return “home.”
