Book Title: Uncommon Food to Value Added Products: A Comprehensive Study
Editor: Dr. Swati Nakhale
ISBN: 978-81-971828-5-3
Chapter: 5
DOI: https://doi.org/10.59646/fvapc5/163
Author: Shaikh Fariha Gohar, Student, Indian Institute of Food Science and Technology, Aurangabad, Maharashtra, India
Abstract:
In the 1940s, Ignacio “Nacho” Anaya was working at Club Victoria in the border town of Piedras Negras, Mexico, when a group from the neighbouring Texas town of Eagle Pass came in looking for something to eat. As the restaurant’s maître d, Anaya’s job was normally limited to attending to guests, but on this particular occasion, the cook was nowhere to be found. Instead of turning the customers away, Anaya ducked into the kitchen to whip up a quick dish using the few ingredients he could find. The resulting plate of tortilla chips topped with grated cheese and sliced jalapeños was a hit. It needed a name, and Nachos Speciales—an homage to its creator—stuck. Or at least the first half of it did. The story of nachos doesn’t start and end with a resourceful restaurant employee assembling a few basic components. From the chips, to the toppings, to the molten yellow cheese that’s become synonymous with the dish, the history of nachos can tell us a lot more than their simple ingredients list might suggest (Michele Debczak,2020). The ready-made nachos were well received when they debuted at a Texas Rangers game in 1976, but they really took off in 1978. By then, nachos had made it to Texas Stadium in Irving, and when announcer Howard Cosell was served a plate of them in the broadcast booth, they became the surprise star of a Cowboys game.