Part 10 Mexican (Nachos) Cooking

Blog Assistant working on Recipes

In the photo my wife is checking on my blog assistant and what recipe she is working on for the "Cabana Boy" blog.  Now let's get to this week's blog on "Part 10 Mexican Cuisine."

"Nachos" are an original of Mexico.  However, I'm going to say they are truly a part of what we call "Tex-Mex" cuisine.

I'll call "Tex-Mex" cuisine, Mexican foods or cooking style that has been influenced by the southern USA.  Kind of a melting pot were cowboys and early settlers merged things based available foods and cooking styles.  Beef in Texas had an enormous effect what and how people served their food.

You also have a "Southwestern" cuisine too.  The food is a little different by state throughout this region.  But the Spanish, Native Americans, Mexicans and Americans blended their cuisines together to come up with this unique flavor and freshness.

Enough on that for now.  "Nachos" were invented in a Mexican border town between Mexico and Texas (USA).  That town was Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico and the story includes wives of U.S. soldiers.  The year was 1943.

The original nachos were tortillas cut into triangles topped with cheese and heated.  Pickled jalapeno peppers were added just before serving them.  The man getting the credit was Ignacio "Nacho" Anaya.  He was the maître d'hôtel at the restaurant were the wives tried to eat.  It had just closed but they talked Ignacio into getting them something to eat.  Nachos was the dish.

Now the reason I say they are "Tex-Mex" is that's where they started to become popular.  Places in Texas started to serve them to locals.  They were really not served outside of the state of Texas until 1976.

They were sold at Arlington Stadium at sporting events.  During a "Monday Night Football" game, Howard Cosell fell in love with them.  He started mentioning them on air with his fellow announcers "and the rest is history" as he use to say.

Now a days, nachos are sold everywhere and in too many forms to count.  You still have the original recipe being served but Ignacio could never have guessed what they can look like today.  I believe that just about anything is possible to put on tortilla chips and be called nachos.  You're only limited by you imagination and taste.

The recipes this week are for a "Basic Nachos" and "Loaded Nachos" to give you a starting place for whatever you come up with to serve as nachos.

Enjoy and "Happy Cooking" until next week.