About Nachos
Nachos are a popular appetizer and snack. In their simplest form, nachos consist of a pile of corn tortilla chips with creamy cheese sauce melted over the top. Beyond that, nachos become more elaborate until they become an enormous meal with a multitude of ingredients. Nachos have come a long way since their beginnings as a chip, a slice of melted cheese and a slice of jalapeno pepper.
Features
Nachos grande and other large nacho creations are basically casseroles, with variations in flavor and texture. One popular version of nachos grande, or loaded nachos, has a layer of chips at the bottom, then refried beans, tomato and lettuce, topped with shredded cheddar cheese or a cheese sauce and sliced jalapeno peppers. Some have seasoned ground beef or shredded beef. Green onions and black olives sometimes are added on top of the cheese. Chicken can be substituted for the beef. Seafood nachos are excellent as well, typically having queso blanco (Mexican white cheese) along with shrimp and whitefish or salmon.
Ethnic variations
Italian nachos combines Italian sausage, pepperoni, banana peppers, mozzarella cheese and pizza sauce. Greek nachos have lamb, black beans, tomato, black olives, feta cheese, onions and garlic.
Cheese
Most cheap nacho plates include sauce with a Velveeta or processed cheese base. This may seem like a sacrilege to purists, but the sauces are quite popular and are sold under several brands in jars at grocery stores. Grated cheddar or a Colby-Monterrey Jack combination provides a more upscale version, and queso blanco makes it more traditionally Mexican.
History
Nachos seem like they should be a Mexican dish that has been around for hundreds of years. However, the accepted story is that nachos were invented in the 1940s, when a restaurant worker on the Texas-Mexico border came up with the idea of melting a slice of Longhorn cheddar on a tortilla chip and adding a jalapeno pepper slice. Nachos, as we came to know the snack later--a pile of corn chips drowned in a processed cheese sauce--became popular in the 1970s.
Considerations
Many people in the southwest U.S. prefer the traditional nacho as invented in the 1940s, or a simple version with enough toppings to add flavor but not enough to make the chips soggy. Making individual nachos is time-consuming, but can be worth it to impress guests who never have tasted nachos with crisp chips that each have just the right amount of cheese, meat, beans, tomatoes, jalapenos, sour cream or guacamole.
Tags: beans tomato, black olives, cheese sauce, invented 1940s, jalapeno pepper