Nachos

Nachos are a non-traditional Northern Mexican regional food that originated in the 1940s, consisting of fried tortilla chips or totopos coated in melted yellow American cheese (or cheese sauce), and are commonly served as an American snack or appetizer.

Nachos were invented in Piedras Negras, Coahuila, right across the border from Eagle Pass, Texas. Ignacio "Nacho" Fernandez Anaya invented nachos in 1940 at the Victory Club when a regular client, Mamie Finan, requested if Anaya could bring her and three other women a different snack than usual. Ignacio is commonly referred to as "Nacho" in Spanish. Anaya entered the kitchen and discovered freshly fried corn tortillas. In a flash of culinary genius, he added melted cheese and pickled jalapeo strips. Anaya cut the tortillas into triangles, fried them, topped them with shredded Colby cheese, quickly heated them, topped them with sliced pickled jalapeo peppers, and served them. Finan inquired about the snack's name after sampling it. "Well, I think," Anaya replied.