Uncle Bill's World Famous Nacho Recipe
Ladies and gentlemen, you are in for a treat! Today, I will be sharing my simple and delicious nacho dip recipe. It's a favorite in our household and a great way to save money buying restaurant bought nacho platters.
Nachos are a Mexican regional[1][2] dish from northern Mexico[3][4][5] that consists of heated tortilla chips or totopos covered with melted cheese (or a cheese-based sauce), often served as a snack or appetizer. More elaborate versions of the dish include other ingredients, and may be substantial enough to serve as a main dish. Ignacio "El Nacho" Anaya created the dish in 1940.[6][7] The original nachos consisted of fried corn tortilla chips covered with melted cheese and sliced jalapeño peppers.
Nachos originated in the city of Piedras Negras, Coahuila, just over the border from Eagle Pass, Texas.[8][9]Ignacio "Nacho" Anaya created nachos at the Victory Club in 1940 when Mamie Finan, a regular customer, asked if Anaya could bring her and three other women a different snack than usual.[6] Anaya went to the kitchen and spotted freshly fried pieces of corn tortillas.[6] In a moment of culinary inspiration, he added melted cheese and pickled jalapeño strips.[6] Anaya cut the tortillas into triangles, fried them, added shredded Colby cheese, quickly heated them, added sliced pickled jalapeño peppers,[Note 1] and served them.[10] After tasting the snack, Finan asked what it was called. Anaya responded, "Well, I guess we can just call them Nacho's Special."[6]
Anaya also opened his own restaurant, Nacho's Restaurant, in Piedras Negras. Anaya's original recipe was printed in the 1954 St. Anne's Cookbook.[8][9]
The popularity of the dish swiftly spread throughout Texas and the Southwest. The first known appearance of the word "nachos" in English dates to 1950, from the book A Taste of Texas.[8] According to El Cholo Spanish Cafe history, waitress Carmen Rocha is credited with making nachos in San Antonio, Texas, before introducing the dish to Los Angeles at the cafe in 1959.[11]
A modified version of the dish, with cheese sauce and prepared tortilla chips, was marketed in 1976 by Frank Liberto, owner of Ricos Products, during Texas Rangers baseball games at Arlington Stadium in Arlington, Texas.[12] This version became known as "ballpark nachos". During the September 4, 1978 Monday Night Football game between the Baltimore Colts and Dallas Cowboys, sportscaster Howard Cosell enjoyed the name "nachos", and made a point of mentioning the dish in his broadcasts over the following weeks, further popularizing it and introducing it to a whole new audience.[13][14][15] Liberto died in 2017.[16]
Ignacio Anaya died in 1975. In his honor, a bronze plaque was erected in Piedras Negras, and October 21 was declared the International Day of the Nacho.[17] Anaya's son, Ignacio Anaya, Jr., served as a judge at the annual nacho competition.[8][9]
A variation consists of a quartered and fried tostada topped with a layer of refried beans or various meats and a layer of shredded cheese or nacho cheese, topped with habanero hot sauce.
Other variations include barbecue nachos (in which cheese is replaced with barbecue sauce) and poutine nachos (in which cheddar cheese is replaced with cheese curds and gravy). Although those variations use nontraditional ingredients, these versions are still classified as nachos. In the Southeast, pulled pork nachos, also called barbecue nachos, are very popular. In this variation, the nachos retain their cheese and often jalapeños, but are also topped with pulled smoked pork shoulder served with or without barbecue sauce or hot sauce. Some Irish-themed restaurants and bars serve "Irish Nachos" with toppings placed over potatoes (French fries) instead of tortilla chips.
Traditional nachos consist of the tortilla chips topped with cheese and jalapeños, as done by Anaya. The modern form of nachos has several possible ingredients with the most common toppings being cheese, guacamole, salsa, sour cream, jalapeños, and sometimes lettuce. Lettuce is a less common topping, if added at all. The topping of the greatest quantity is often the cheese.[20]
Nachos vary from the modern style served in restaurants to the quick and easy nachos sold at concession stands in stadiums. The nachos sold at concession stands consists of tortilla chips topped with pump-able cheese sauce. The cheese sauce comes in condensed form to which water or milk and pepper juice are added. What is contained in the condensed form itself is a trade secret.[21] Another variation of nachos is "dessert nachos". These vary widely, from cinnamon and sugar on pita chips to "s'more nachos" with marshmallow and chocolate on graham crackers, and typically refer to a dessert consisting of scattered toppings on some form of crispy base.[22][23]
Happy Cooking,
UB
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