National Nacho Day: America’s #1 Favorite Mexican Food
National Nacho Day: America's #1 Favorite Mexican Food
Happy National Nacho Day! It’s a food a LOT of us are crazy about. (Although the depths of our love is . . . well, NACHO BUSINESS! I’m sorry, it’s Friday, I can’t help it.)
Someone polled people and found 82% of us enjoy nachos. Only 3% don’t like them. The other 14% are “neutral.”
An 82% approval rating is enough to make nachos our FAVORITE Mexican food. But the rankings might be sullied by this: It looks like they didn’t include “TACOS” as an option for some reason. (???) Here are the Top Nine . . .
1. Nachos, 82% love ’em.
2. A tie between Salsa and Burritos, 80%.
4. Fajitas, 79%.
5. Quesadillas, 77%.
6. Guacamole, 70%
7. Chimichangas, 62%
8. Chili con Carne, 59%
9. Huevos Rancheros, 53%.
Nachos also made the Top Five most popular dishes of ALL types.
85% like chocolate chip cookies. That’s #1. Then, there’s “eggs and bacon,” 83% . . . lasagna, 82% . . . nachos, also 82% . . . and spaghetti and meatballs, 81%. Mac and cheese is all the way down at #13, at 77%.
Here’s a history lesson: Nachos were invented in Mexico in 1943, by Ignacio “Nacho” Anaya, who was a maître d’ at a restaurant called the Victory Club.
As the story goes: A group of women walked in, whose husbands were officers stationed at the nearby U.S. Army base Fort Duncan.
Ignacio wanted to serve them quickly, but couldn’t find the chef. So, he cut fried tortillas into triangles, added shredded Colby cheese and sliced pickled jalapeño peppers, and heated them. They LOVED it . . . asked what it was . . . and he responded, “Well, I guess we can just call them Nacho’s Special.”
