MZANSI is a cosmopolitan country.
Our love of food from all over the world is seen in our diverse restaurants.
Today, SunFood is going to focus on the Mexican national food – nachos!
Coming from northern Mexico, this party snack platter is made up of tortilla chips covered in mince, onion, chillies, peppers, jalanepos and beans topped with melted cheese or a cheese-based sauce.
Ignacio “Nacho” Anaya is credited as the inventor of nachos in 1943. On that day, the wives of US soldiers stationed at Fort Duncan – at nearby Eagle Pass – came to do their shopping at Piedras Negras. According to the story, they arrived at Anaya’s restaurant after he had closed.
Taking everything he could find in the nearly empty kitchen, he made the world’s first nachos.
He took sheets of raw tortilla dough, cut them into triangles and fried them. He then melted shredded cheddar cheese, added sliced pickled jalapenos and served that to his customers.
There is no true nachos but typically, it’s a ring of tortilla chips at the edge of a plate surrounding a mix of meat, salsa, shredded lettuce, refried beans, peppers and other toppings.
This is covered by cheese melted in a microwave oven and served immediately.
