Randy Chandler
The name nacho cheese comes from the dish nachos, which was created in 1943 by Ignacio Nacho Anaya in the Mexican city of Piedras Negras. Anaya, who worked as a chef and manager at the Victory Club, created the dish for a group of military wives who had crossed the border from a nearby U.S. Army base. He fried tortilla chips, added cheese and jalapeños, and served his creation as an appetizer. When asked the name of the dish, Anaya replied, Nacho's Special, or Nacho's Especiales in Spanish. Over time, the name was shortened to nachos. The dish quickly gained popularity in the U.S., and the term nacho cheese was coined to refer to the liquid cheese sauce commonly used on nachos, especially in large-scale production settings.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Year of creation | 1943 |
| Creator | Ignacio "Nacho" Anaya |
| Nickname of creator | Nacho |
| Full name of creator | Ignacio |
| Place of creation | Victory Club, Piedras Negras, Mexico |
| People who first tasted the dish | Mamie Finan and a group of U.S. military officers' wives |
| Original name of the dish | Nacho's Special/Nachos Especiales |
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What You'll Learn
Ignacio Nacho Anaya created nachos in 1943
Ignacio "Nacho" Anaya created nachos in 1943. Anaya was working as a manager at the Victory Club, a restaurant in the Mexican border city of Piedras Negras, when he invented the dish. The story goes that a group of military wives, including a regular customer named Mamie Finan, had been shopping in Eagle Pass, right over the border from the restaurant. They decided to relax and enjoy dinner together, but it was getting late, and all of the nearby restaurants were closed. Anaya decided to cook a dish for the group. He cut up some tortillas into triangles, fried them, added cheese and sliced jalapeño peppers, and heated the dish in the oven.
Anaya presented his unique snack to the ladies, telling them it was "Nachos Especiales" or "Nacho's Special". "Nacho" was Ignacio's nickname, and so the dish was named after him. The ladies loved the dish and soon the Victory Club developed a reputation for its famous snack. Over time, people shortened the name "Nachos Especiales" to simply "nachos".
The original recipe was dynamic yet simple, and it quickly grew in popularity around the US. The dish was soon altered from its traditional recipe, changing the American snacking industry. Frank Liberto, the owner of Mexican food supply company Ricos, wanted to create a variation that could be served quickly to customers who didn't want to wait for real cheese to melt. This new kind of cheese became a staple of American nachos, and nachos were never the same again. The snack expanded past sporting events to restaurants, movie theatres, and anywhere else hot snacks are sold.
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Nacho cheese is a modern American culinary creation
Nacho cheese is commonly used as a topping for tortilla chips sold at gas stations, convenience stores, baseball games, and fast-food Mexican or Tex-Mex restaurants. It is important to note that, according to the FDA, nacho cheese is not technically considered a cheese. Instead, it is classified as a cheese product made from cheese and other ingredients, including chemicals and compounds.
The creation of nacho cheese is attributed to Frank Liberto, the owner of Ricos Products, a Mexican food supply company. Liberto wanted to create a variation of the traditional nacho cheese that could be served quickly to customers who did not want to wait for real cheese to melt. To achieve this, he employed the use of sodium citrate, a type of salt that also acts as an emulsifier. Sodium citrate reduces the acid level in the cheese, making the proteins more soluble and preventing the mixture from separating.
The formula for nacho cheese contains a clever joke within its chemical composition. The formula for sodium citrate, when written without the numbers, spells out "NACHO" (Na, C, H, and O). This hidden message adds a playful element to the science behind the creation of nacho cheese.
Today, nachos have evolved beyond the basic cheddar cheese and jalapeno combination. Various toppings, including meat, different types of cheese, and other ingredients, have expanded the possibilities for this versatile snack. Additionally, dessert nachos have emerged, featuring cookies as chips with multiple sweet toppings.
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The cheese sauce comes in condensed form
Nacho cheese is a modern American culinary creation. It is smooth, creamy, tangy, and cheesy, and it is both loved and despised in equal measure. When we refer to "nacho cheese," we are not referring to the cheese found on nachos in a sit-down Mexican restaurant. Instead, it is the fully liquid, bright orange cheese sauce—similar to queso or cheese soup—that is commonly used in Tex-Mex cuisine.
The cheese sauce comes in a condensed form, and its exact contents are a closely guarded trade secret. However, we do know that water or milk and pepper juice are added to the condensed form to create the final product. The cheese sauce is designed to be pumpable and easily spread over tortilla chips, making it ideal for large-scale production settings such as schools, movie theatres, sports venues, and convenience stores.
The creation of this condensed cheese sauce was driven by the need for a longer shelf life and quicker preparation time. Traditional cheddar cheese, which is commonly used in Mexican restaurants, has a shorter shelf life and requires more time to melt. The new cheese sauce revolutionized the snacking industry, becoming a staple in American nachos and expanding their reach beyond sporting events to a wide range of venues.
The exact formula for nacho cheese contains a clever joke, with a scientific basis. The key ingredient is sodium citrate, a type of salt that acts as an emulsifier, reducing the acid level in the cheese. The chemical formula for sodium citrate is Na3C6H5O7, and interestingly, if you remove the numbers, it spells out "NACHO." This hidden message adds a playful element to the science behind the cheese's creation.
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Nacho cheese is not technically, fully cheese
Nacho cheese is not technically considered a full cheese. It is a liquid cheese sauce, akin to queso or cheese soup, with a distinct bright orange colour. It is often spicy, reflecting its Tex-Mex or Mexican roots. The term "nacho cheese" refers specifically to this liquid cheese sauce, as opposed to the blend of shredded and melted cheeses that is more commonly found in sit-down Mexican restaurants.
Nacho cheese is a modern American culinary creation, and its formula contains a clever joke. The key ingredient that transforms it from a solid cheese to a liquid cheese sauce is sodium citrate, which has the chemical formula Na3C6H5O7. Interestingly, if you take the numbers out of this formula, it spells "NACHO" (N-A-C-H-O). This formula was developed by Frank Liberto, the owner of Ricos, a Mexican food supply company. Liberto wanted to create a cheese product that could be quickly served to customers without having to wait for real cheese to melt.
The use of sodium citrate in nacho cheese serves a functional purpose beyond its humorous connection to the dish's name. Sodium citrate is a salt that acts as an emulsifier, reducing the acid level in the cheese. This makes the proteins more soluble and prevents the mixture from separating into its individual components. In other words, it helps to create a smooth and homogeneous cheese sauce that remains stable and does not separate over time.
While nacho cheese may not be considered a traditional cheese, it has become a staple in American nachos. The original nachos were made with shredded or melted cheddar cheese, but the switch to nacho cheese sauce revolutionized the snack, making it more convenient and accessible. This liquid cheese sauce is commonly used on nachos sold at sporting events, concession stands, fast-food restaurants, and convenience stores. It has also expanded beyond tortilla chips, with people using it as a dip for other snacks or even as a topping for dishes like burgers.
Despite its popularity, some people view nacho cheese with suspicion due to its chemical composition. In addition to sodium citrate, other ingredients and additives may be included in the formula, contributing to its unique texture and flavour. However, the exact composition of nacho cheese sauce is often kept as a trade secret by manufacturers, leaving some consumers curious and cautious about the product they are consuming.
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Nacho cheese contains a very clever joke
The name "nacho cheese" contains a clever joke, which hints at its destiny as a transformative cheese additive. The formula for nacho cheese contains sodium citrate, which is a kind of salt that emulsifies, reducing the acid level in the cheese. This makes the proteins more soluble and ensures that the mixture doesn't separate into its various components. The chemical formula for sodium citrate is Na3C6H5O7, and if you take out the numbers, it spells "NACHO" (N-A-C-H-O).
The name "nacho cheese" also has an interesting etymology. Nacho cheese is named after Ignacio "Nacho" Anaya, who created nachos in 1943 at the Victory Club restaurant in Piedras Negras, Mexico. Anaya created the dish for a group of hungry military wives, including Mamie Finan, whose husbands were stationed at the nearby Fort Duncan, Texas. Anaya fried tortilla chips, added shredded cheese and sliced jalapeño peppers, and served his creation as an appetizer. When asked what it was called, he responded, "Nacho's Special," or "Nachos Especiales" in Spanish. Over time, the name was shortened to simply "nachos."
The popularity of nachos grew, and Frank Liberto, the owner of Ricos Products, began selling a modified version with cheese sauce and tortilla chips during Texas Rangers baseball games at Arlington Stadium in 1976. This version became known as "ballpark nachos." Sportscaster Howard Cosell enjoyed the name "nachos" and mentioned the dish during his broadcasts, further popularizing it.
Today, nacho cheese has become its own category, with various brands selling it as a cheese sauce or dip. It is commonly used in places where freshly grated cheese may be logistically prohibitive, such as schools, movie theaters, sports venues, and convenience stores. While it was originally formulated as a cheaper and more convenient source of cheese for nachos, it has become popular in the U.S., with many different toppings and variations available.
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Frequently asked questions
The name "nacho" comes from Ignacio Anaya, the inventor of nachos. "Nacho" is a common nickname for Ignacio in Spanish.
Ignacio Anaya was a chef and manager at the Victory Club, a restaurant in the Mexican border city of Piedras Negras.
Ignacio Anaya invented nachos in 1943 for a group of military wives in Mexico, near Fort Duncan, Texas.
The original nachos consisted of freshly fried tortilla chips topped with shredded cheese and sliced pickled jalapeño peppers.
