National Nachos Day - November 6, 2024

What is National Nachos Day?

November 6 is National Nachos Day! On this day we celebrate everyone’s favorite snack no matter how you make it. Chicken or beef? Beans or salsa? Cheddar or that yellow stuff they top chips with at football games? There’s no one specific way to make it as long as it has two main ingredients: Chips and as much cheese as you can pile on!

History

Any discussion about the history of nachos has to begin in the Mexican border town of Piedras Negras — just west of the Rio Grande — across which sits Eagle Pass, Texas. One day in 1943 the wives of U.S. soldiers stationed at Ft. Duncan dropped in on a Piedras Negras hotspot called the Victory Club.

Unfortunately the restaurant had closed for the day.

Still, a manager named Ignacio “Nacho” Anaya decided to throw a dish together based on whatever ingredients he still had left. Among them? Cheese and tortillas. Anaya sliced the fried tortillas into triangles, added some shredded cheddar and jalapeño peppers — and started a new tradition which bears his name to this day. (Thanks Nacho! Where would out Super Bowl parties be without you?)

Speaking of which, an alternative take on nachos — using the now familiar cheese sauce — appeared at a Texas Rangers baseball game at Arlington Stadium in 1976. Two years later the iconic ABC sportscaster Howard Cosell mentioned the term “nachos” during a Monday Night Football game — helping to turn this rather simple dish into an American tradition.

Note: Piedras Negras continues to celebrate “The International Nacho Festival” each October — complete with live music, art, cultural activities, and a “giant nacho” contest.

National Nachos Day timeline

2019

Nachos are a home run

The Houston Astros add “Walkoff Nachos” to the menu at Minute Maid Park for the World Series against the Washington Nationals. The name is a tribute to second baseman Jose Altuve's “walk-off” home run that clinched the team’s American League pennant.

1978

Monday Night nachos

Famed sportscaster Howard Cosell, who found the word “nachos” amusing, turns an entire nation onto a new snack during a game between the then-Baltimore Colts and Dallas Cowboys.

1959

Nachos Go Coastal

An L.A. waitress named Carmen Rocha, who once prepared nachos in San Antonio, brings the dish to Southern California’s El Cholo restaurant.

1954

By the book

Anaya, who later worked at the Moderno in Piedras Negras, eventually opened his own restaurant, "Nacho's Restaurant, in the same city. The St. Anne's Cookbook published his original recipe.

National Nachos Day FAQs

When did nachos become popular?

While a Mexican hotel manager created the dish in 1943, a U.S. sportscaster gets credit for popularizing nachos in 1976 during a Monday Night Football game.

Are nachos unhealthy?

Deep fried foods topped with melted cheese generally don’t rate high with cardiologists. Try going heavy on colorful vegetables and using whole-grain flour. Or just limit yourself to Super Bowl nachos once a year.

Who invented nachos?

Credit goes to Ignacio “Nacho” Anaya, who first created them for the wives of U.S. servicemen at a Mexican hotel restaurant in 1943.

National Nachos Day Activities

Have a nacho competition

They have chili cookoffs, barbecue competitions, and even bake-offs, so why not an annual nacho competition? Well, you’ll be happy to know that at the Port Jefferson Station in New York, they actually do hold an annual Nacho Fest, but you don’t have to go there to experience it! What with the many ways you can serve up this crunchy culinary masterpiece, invite some of your most talented tortilla artists over to bring their best recipe to the table.

Hit your local cineplex

At this point, nachos have become just as much a movie theater staple as popcorn. This National Nachos Day, try taking in a blockbuster while skipping on the popcorn. Instead, when you hit the concession stand, make a hot, melty plate of nachos the star of the show. Don’t forget the extra cheese!

Perfect the chip-to-cheese ratio

One flaw many people note about nachos is that you can only cover so many tortilla chips with cheese. Eventually, you’re left with the bottom chips, which might as well have been left in the bag where you found them. This doesn’t have to be the case! Next time, place those chips on a cookie sheet and space them apart. Cover each chip with cheese and bake. Plate the chips and top with your favorite extras. You’ll guarantee those bottom chips get all the cheesy love they deserve.

Why We Love National Nachos Day

They’re perfect for any party

Is there any celebration nachos aren’t welcome? Seriously, Super Bowl, Fourth of July, birthdays — if you’re bringing nachos, you might as well throw on a cape while you’re at it because you just became the hero of the party! Don’t be that person who shows up with a five-dollar bag of plain potato chips; whip out that salsa and make a statement!

They can be topped with just about anything

It doesn’t have to be all about the guacamole and hot sauce. You can make nachos that fit any style of cuisine. How about giving your nachos a Mediterranean flare by subbing out those tortillas and beans for pita chips and hummus? Fan of Italian food? Try crisping up some pizza dough and topping it with marinara and mozzarella! The possibilities are endless.

They can be a snack or a meal

It’s hard to really classify what nachos actually are. The chips would lead you to believe they’re a snack, but what with all those toppings, how can it not be a meal? That’s the great thing about nachos, they can be either. Perfect for either lunch or dinner, nachos are also only one fried egg away from being a breakfast staple as well!

Also on Wed Nov 6, 2024...

National Nachos Day - Wednesday, November 6, 2024