There’s a widespread perception that nachos are a Mexican-American or Tex-Mex creation, but no, they were invented just across from the border from Eagle Pass, Texas — Mexico!
Nachos were named after a guy named Nacho. The maître d’c who came up with the dish was named Ignacio “Nacho” Anaya.
The “recipe” for original nachos was super simple. It only included freshly fried tortilla chips, shredded cheese and sliced pickled jalapeños.
Tortilla chips (the foundation of nachos) were popularized in the U.S., not Mexico.
Nachos were almost trademarked. Although Anaya never tried to copyright the recipe, his son contacted a lawyer in 1960 about it. Unfortunately, almost two decades after its creation, he was told it was too late.
The first U.S. restaurant to feature nachos is reputed to be El Cholo in San Antonio, Texas.
Ballpark nachos rose to fame in the ‘70s when NFL sportscaster Howard Cosell couldn’t stop talking about them. Supposedly, the first iteration of ballpark nachos—the kind with the cheesy sauce we all know and love—was created in 1976 by Frank Liberto and served at Arlington Stadium in Texas. Cosell got a hold of them a couple years later during a Baltimore Colts and Dallas Cowboys game, and the rest is history.
According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the largest nachos ever made was at the University of Kansas stadium. It took 80 people to assemble 860 pounds of nacho cheese, 860 pounds of beef, 1,200 pounds of beans, 315 pounds of jalapeños and 600 pounds of tortilla chips.
