There’s a lot going on today. It’s Friday. The weekend is upon us. And it’s National Nachos Day!
Today we celebrate the creation of one of the single greatest bar foods ever invented: nachos. Invented in 1943, the original recipe was rather simple. Ignacio “Nacho” Anaya was the maître d’hôtel for the Victory Club, which was located in Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico. The story goes that the wives of several American soldiers stationed at Fort Duncan (located in nearby Eagle Pass, Texas) had been shopping in Piedras Negras and popped into the Victory Club, hungry. The restaurant was closed and the chef had gone but Ignacio didn’t want to turn away the guests. There were tortillas, cheese and jalapeños in the kitchen. Ignacio cut the tortillas into triangles and then heated them up with the cheese, melting it onto the chips. He topped the chips and cheese with jalapeños and Nacho’s Especiales (“Nacho’s Special”) were born.
But the delicious story of nachos doesn’t end there.
According to NationalNachosDay.com, Arlington Stadium played an integral role in the history of this amazing snack. A man named Frank Liberto sold nachos in the ‘70s and ‘80s at the former home of the Texas Rangers, seeing their potential as stadium food. Frank introduced his nachos to legendary sportscaster Howard Cosell who sang their praises during the broadcast of a Monday night football game. That move helped make nachos famous and made the world a better place.
Raise a pint to the memory of Ignacio and either make or order up one of the following nachos recipes from our extensive database. Cheers!
For the original Nacho's Especiales recipe, click here.
These Loaded Nachos are 100% vegetarian but they can be loaded up with bacon, chorizo, pulled pork or any number of decidedly non-vegetarian ingredients.
If you’re interested in an alternative to “traditional” nachos, you’ll want to try these Irish Nachos with Guinness & Irish Cheddar Sauce.
Finally, these Ultimate Loaded Fully Loaded Vegan Nachos are perfect for vegan, vegetarian and health-conscious guests.