Nachos : Especiales!

We live in an age where food is available in plenty, so much that one is more likely to die of overeating than starvation. So many cuisines have never been so easily available to people and thousands of new food items are found everywhere now that were not found a few years back. But it’s seldom that we think about the origins and the stories behind these various foods we eat. But don’t worry, that’s what we’re here for!

Today we’re gonna be talking about Nachos! Everyone eats them all the time, everywhere, with salsa, cheese and whatnot. But have you ever wondered why Nachos came to be called ‘Nachos’? In Mexico, Nacho means only one thing : short for a boy who’s name was Ignacio. Pretty odd, right?

The story begins in Piedras Negras, Mexico, 1943. Just across the border from Eagle Pass, a group of hungry army wives were the first to eat the meal. When the ladies went to a restaurant called the Victory Club, the maitre d’hotel, Ignacio Anaya greeted them. Without a chef around, Anaya threw together whatever food he could find in the kitchen that “consisted of near canapes of tortilla chips, cheese, and jalapeno peppers.” The cheese of choice was reportedly Wisconsin cheddar. Ignacio christened this new invention “Nacho’s Especiales” which translated into “Nacho’s Specials”.

But as time passed, and the word floated around land, the dish lost it’s second word and came to be called only “Nachos”. The first variety of Nachos were vegetarian, but since then, a wide variety of preparations has become available. People combine it with various sorts of meats and vegetables to make more variations of it. They’ve become so popular that they’re the staple diet of every baseball watcher in America and every movie goer in India.

Anaya passed away in 1975 and since then, October 21 is the International day of the Nacho!

So the next time you order a plate of Nachos, thank Ignacio Anaya, the Nacho himself!