It’s National Nacho Day! The Cheesy Story Behind a Crunchy Favorite

🐊 KNGT 🐊 | Lake Charles, LA — Alright y’all, here’s a funny little twist. Earlier this week we were talkin’ about the Top 5 Mexican Restaurants in Lake Charles, and now come to find out, today’s National Nacho Day. Yeah buddy, according to nationalcalendar.com, it’s officially the day to pile up them chips and drown ‘em in cheese. So curiosity got me, and I had to find out all about the History.

The History of Nachos

Turns out, nachos been around since back in the 1900s, actually 1943 to be exact, and like a lotta good stories, this one started by accident. There was a fella named Ignacio “Nacho” Anaya, workin’ over in Piedras Negras, Mexico, right across the border from Eagle Pass, Texas. He was the maître d’ at a place called El Moderno Restaurant.

One night, a bunch of U.S. Army wives showed up after the kitchen had already closed. They’d been shoppin’ all day, and you know how that goes, hungry, tired, and wantin’ somethin’ quick. So ol’ Nacho got creative. He grabbed some tostadas, cut them into triangles, slapped some sliced Jalapenos and shredded cheese on them, and bam, magic was born.

When he pulled ‘em out, those ladies couldn’t stop eatin’ ‘em. They said, “We’re callin’ these Nacho’s Specials,” and just like that, a legend was born. Word spread faster than free margaritas at happy hour, and before long, Nacho’s Special turned into what we now call nachos.

These days, we don’t just stop at cheese and peppers. We load ‘em up with beef, chicken, shrimp, beans, guac, sour cream, you name it. Folks even turn ‘em into full-blown meals. There’s loaded nachos, super nachos, nachos supreme, basically, if it fits on a chip, we’re eatin’ it.

So yeah, while we’re over here braggin’ about our favorite Mexican joints in Lake Charles, like Victoria’s, Johnny Sánchez, and Laguna’s, it’s only right we raise a chip to ol' Nacho Anaya today.

Whether you like ‘em plain and crispy or buried under a mountain of toppings, National Nacho Day is the perfect excuse to grab your crew, order a big plate, and make a mess. Because let’s be real, nachos taste best when you’re sharin’ ‘em with good friends and cold drinks.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I think I hear a plate of loaded nachos callin’ my name from down at Laguna’s.