Perhaps Ignacio Anaya Garcia never intended for his nickname, Nacho, to become synonymous with one of the world’s favorite ballpark snacks. But this weekend, stadiums from Toronto to Tijuana will be serving the jalapeno-topped treats to grateful fans.
Anaya was a restaurateur in the border town of Piedras Negras, Coahuila, just across the Rio Grande from Del Rio, Texas, and its large U.S. Army base. One day in 1943, a large party of soldiers’ wives dropped in for lunch, but Anaya’s cook was out. Thinking quickly, Anaya laid out a tray of fried corn tortilla triangles, over which he melted cheese, topped with sliced jalapenos.
The result, Nacho’s Special, soon became a permanent menu item at restaurants on both sides of the border. But the stadium version didn’t come to life until more than three decades later in San Antonio.
Frank Liberto, whose company sold concession supplies to venues like movie theaters and stadiums, became determined to find a way to give his customers a way to serve nachos out of their tiny snack bars. Doing so required finding the right chip recipe (thick and sturdy) and, more challengingly, an iteration of cheese that could be stored, heated and served in the simplest way possible.
Dallas writer Amy McCarthy, who detailed the birth of ballpark nachos, tells us that Liberto enlisted the help of Chicago-based Dean Foods to discern the magic formula for what would come to be known as nacho cheese. As a final touch, Liberto found a supplier who would provide jalapenos sliced into rounds, rather than the rajas, or strips, which were the standard sliced jalapeno of the time.
After winning the hearts of San Antonio, nachos traveled north, where they made their Major League Baseball at the Texas Rangers’ Arlington Stadium in 1976. By the end of the decade, venues from high school football stadiums to junior hockey rinks across the country were serving the tangy treat to hungry fans.
Of course, nachos in Albuquerque have often been graced with regal New Mexico chiles instead of the usual jalapenos. At Isotopes Park this year, the “Nacho Average Wednesday” promotional nights presented baroque versions of the dish ranging from the traditional (blue corn chips with calabacitas) to imaginative (“Irish Nachos” made with waffle fries and corned beef).
“I think the bananas foster nacho has probably been the most popular,” said Albuquerque Isotopes head chef Jim Griego. “I think it got over 25,000 likes when it hit social media.”
In case you were wondering, that version featured butter cookies topped with caramelized bananas, vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, and candied walnuts.
Whether one favors their nachos traditional, or innovative, or somewhere in between, one fact remains evident. Ignacio Anaya Garcia and his “Nacho’s Special” are still hitting home runs, 83 years later.
