National nachos Day is celebrated on November 6. People love nachos and eat them all the time. They probably would enjoy them better if they knew the interesting story about their origin. They were not planned to be created. Instead, they came about by accident in the city of Piedras Negras, Mexico in 1943. Ten American soldiers were stationed at Fort Duncan in Texas just over the border from Mexico. Their wives had been out shopping all day long. When they arrived at a restaurant late in the evening, it was closed.

A restaurant employee, Ignacio "Nacho" Anaya, wanted to serve the women, but not much was available.

Therefore, he gathered what he could find in the closed kitchen which turned out to just some tortillas, cheese, and jalapeño peppers. He cut the tortillas into triangles, fried them and added the cheddar cheese. Then he heated the combination and after the cheese melted, he added slices of the hot peppers.

The name

The women loved the treat so much they asked the employee what it was called. He told them it was "Nacho's Especiales." Nachos called it that because it was something special he made up on the spot for the Army wives. The word spread throughout Mexico and Texas about how delicious the dish was. The employee opened his own restaurant and nachos became his specialty. The next time you eat nachos remember that story and know that the tasty dish was named after a person who became creative on the spur of the moment.

About nachos

Nachos are very popular in Mexico and in America. They can be eaten as an appetizer, a snack, or a main course. The ingredients include tortilla chips topped with lots of melted cheese. Optional ingredients could be salsa, sour cream, jalapenos, and guacamole.

The nutritional value of nachos depends on the type of tortilla chip, cheese, and toppings that are used.

Most typical corn tortilla chips contain about 15 calories per chip. Baked corn tortilla chips have about 6 calories. Cheddar cheese contains about 110 calories per ounce. The count goes up by about 100 calories once chicken or beef is added. Therefore, a single serving of nachos could include from 300 to 600 total calories, along with a significant amount of fat, sodium, and calcium.

In order to celebrate National Nachos Day on November 6, eat nachos by baking your own or getting them from your favorite Mexican restaurant such as Taco Bell. Even though there are other Mexican restaurants in the United States, Taco Bell is one of the more popular ones where nachos are always on the menu at all of the 7,000 locations.