MEMORIES:
PHOTOS:
In the magical world of nachos, little can go wrong. At least for me. Cheesy goodness spread across nice, toasty tortilla chips, along with a little salsa, some jalapenos and sour cream and you can call me a happy camper. For parties, sporting events and even movies around the country, few things fit as appropriately as nachos!
Originally created in Mexico during the 1940s by Ignacio “Nacho” Anaya, the dish was often eaten by American airmen and their wives who would come by the restaurant after it had already closed. Quick and easy to prepare, it became a popular item and was soon added to the menu as “Especiales de Nacho” or “Nacho’s Special Dish.” The word nacho was first printed in 1949 in a cookbook called “A Taste of Texas.” In the book, Anaya is credited with the invention, and soon nachos and their variations started springing up around the U.S.
After the introduction of processed cheese sauce, nacho preparation took considerably less time and grew in popularity. Soon, the often gooey snack was offered at concession stands in sports arenas and county fairs (and a few places in between!). In fact, the first professional sports team to sell nachos during the game were professional baseball’s Texas Rangers. Since then, nachos have popped up in pop culture time and time again, from sportscasting great Howard Cosell using the term when something really spectacular happened during the football game, to the Gen-X classic, Beavis and Butthead, the title characters from which shared a fondness for the spicy, cheesy chips.
Of course, today you can find nacho-flavored items from Doritos to bagels, but nothing beats the classic, cheesy goodness of a tray of nachos.
