The origin of the tortilla chips will take you down a blurry road as things get a bit complicated. Like every tale in history, there are almost always two sides to every story. While many have credited Rebecca Webb Carranza as the inventor and innovator of the tortilla chip, Jose Bartolome Martinez the owner of the Tamalina Milling Company, claims he was the first to make tortillas. While any suggest tortilla chips aren’t actually Mexican, and that they were actually first made by the wives of some American Soldiers during World War II. They were served by Ignacio “Nacho” Anaya, after whom the dish was named accordingly and shortened to just “Nacho” as years passed by.

Tortilla chips today are the quintessential appetizer served in Mexican Restaurants in the U.S. or anywhere else in the world for that matter. Their popularity saw a steady rise in the late 1970s when they began to compete with corn chips, which was then the dipping chip of choice during that time. They are typically served with a dip, such as salsa or guacamole. When not served with a dip, the chips are often seasoned with herbs and spices. Although they are now available worldwide, the United States is one of the main markets for tortilla chips. Tostitos, Doritos, and Don Tacos are commercial brand names for tortilla chips. Nachos aretortilla chips served with melted or shredded cheese, although often other toppings are added or substituted such as meat, salsa, guacamole, sour cream, diced onions, olives, and pickled jalapenos. The more extravagant versions are often baked for a short period of time to warm the tortillas and melt shredded cheese. Nachos are one of the most frequently ordered starters in the US and UK, with majority of chain restaurants offering them on their starters menu, as well as having ‘to share’ options. Well, after high demand, the Nacho chip made its way into the United Kingdom in the 1990s, when the ingredients to make them were shipped. In the last decade we’ve seen a Mexican food trail in Mumbai too.

Regardless of what topping you have, nachos are delicious. After endless topping choices were introduced, from the most common cheese toppings to hot jalapenos to even sweet toppings; nachos have graced our flavour palettes with a variety of tantalizing flavours, which is a testament to just how experimental we’ve got with it.