Nachos are a Mexican dish from northern Mexico that consists of deep-fried tortilla chips that are covered with melted cheese, salsa often served as a snack or appetizer. This dish consists of other ingredients and may be substantial enough to serve as a main dish. Crispy crunchy nachos with dripping cheese sauce with salsa.
Deep-fried, salted tortilla chips with a liberal amount of cheese with spicy jalapenos. Maybe a dollop of guacamole to get fancy. Chicken, beans, chili, or pico de gallo (salsa) which is best paired with nachos. These crispy chips are enjoyed with a variety of sides it could be cheese sauce, red hot sauce, or basic Mexican salsa.
Story Of Nachos
Nachos were invented in the town of Piedras Negras, Mexico just four miles across the border from Eagle Pass, Texas. Sitting outside of Eagle Pass was historic Fort Duncan, a converted Air Base, and wartime flight school. Those stationed at Fort Duncan often traveled the few miles into Mexico simply for a better bite to eat. And, in Piedras Negras, there was a favored restaurant, the enthusiastically-named Victory Club. There’s one telling that says it was a group of officers who came in on a very late night, exhausted, homesick, and looking for good food.
Another tale says that it was several female shoppers who were ending their day with a “girls’ night out” dinner. Either way, what isn’t disputed is who they encountered at the Victory Club – Ignacio Anaya, who was more affectionately known as “Nacho” Anaya. Again, there’s a bit of discrepancy on who Anaya was, some say he was the maitre ‘d or a server, while others claim she was the chef.
But whatever role Anaya played and whoever the guests were, it was late and they were hungry. So, Anaya sprung into action. Looking for the most common and easily prepared items in the kitchen, he found freshly fried strips of tortilla, sprinkled a hefty portion of shredded cheese and spicy jalapenos. Then, he stuck it in the broiler. Within moments he delivered his creation to the table of Americans. Eagerly, they ate them up and asked Anaya what he called them. She shrugged, saying “Nacho’s Especiales,” or “Nacho’s Special.”
Read More : Creamy White Sauce Pasta
Nachos can be a nutritional breakdown as it all depends on the type of nachos, type of cheese, and additional toppings. Most typical corn tortilla chips contain about 15 calories per chip. Baked corn tortilla chips have about 6 calories per chip, making them a healthier alternative option to the usually fried chip. Some times calorie may vary as you are using a different variety of cheese. You can add other sources of proteins like beef, chicken, beans that make it healthy.
The nutritional breakdown and total calorie count for a serving of nachos typically depend on the type of nacho, type of cheese, and additional toppings (such as beef, jalapeños, etc.) that are included in the serving. Most typical corn tortilla chips contain about 15 calories per chip. Baked corn tortilla chips have about 6 calories per chip, making them a healthier alternative option to the usually fried chip. Mexican-style cheddar cheese contains about 110 calories per ounce. Adding a source of protein, such as chicken or beef, increases the calorie count by about 100 calories or so. All in all, a single serving of nachos can contain from 300–600 total calories.
Variations Of Nachos
There are many variations available in nachos as there many serving options. It has options like guacamole, pico de gallo, shredded lettuce, cotija cheese, grilled corn, pinto beans, black olives, fresh jalapeno slices, pickled red onions, cubed steak, shredded chicken, or crumbled tofu. But traditional nachos consist of the tortilla chips topped with cheese and jalapenos, as done by Anaya who created “nachos”.
The modern form of nachos has several possible ingredients with the most common toppings being cheese, guacamole, salsa, sour cream, jalapenos, and sometimes lettuce. Lettuce is a less common topping if added at all. The topping of the greatest quantity is often the cheese. As cheese sauce is the most common ingredient which is served with nachos.
