Originally posted on May 5th, 2020 and Updated February 24th, 2021

Today, February 24th, is National Tortilla Chip day. The tortilla chip is most commonly served with salsa, chile con queso, guacamole, cheese dips or other dips.  Tortilla chips are made from corn tortillas cut into wedges and then fried. The tortillas are made from corn, vegetable oil, salt, and water. Typically made with yellow corn, tortillas can also be made with white, blue or red corn.

History of Tortilla Chips

While tortilla chips have always been considered to be Mexican food, known as tostados, they were first mass-produced in Los Angeles in the late 1940s. It is said that the triangle-shaped tortilla chips were made popular by Rebecca Webb Carranza as a way to use the misshapen tortillas that were rejected from the automated tortilla manufacturing machine that she and her husband used at their Los Angeles deli and tortilla factory. 

Carranza realized that once the discarded tortillas were cut into triangle shapes and fried, they became a popular snack.  She then sold them for a dime a bag at the El Zarape Tortilla Factory.  Carranza received the Golden Tortilla Award in 1994 for her contribution to the Mexican food industry.

While Tortilla Chips are great with dip, Guacamole, salsa and sour cream, they are also used to make nachos and in Tortilla soup.   Nachos are tortilla chips served with melted or shredded cheese, and often additional toppings are added, such as meat, salsa, refried beans, tomatoes, diced onion, lettuce, olives, jalapenos, guacamole and sour cream.

The first Nacho dish was created in 1940 by Ignacio “El Nacho” Anaya. The original nachos consisted of fried corn tortilla chips covered with melted cheese and sliced jalapeño peppers. Nachos are known as Mexican  dish from northern Mexico that consists of heated tortilla chips  covered with melted cheese (or a cheese-based sauce), often served as a snack or appetizer. More elaborate versions of the dish include other ingredients, and may be substantial enough to serve as a main dish. You can find our version of nachos here.