Texas-Style Vs Standard Nachos: The Difference Between These Game-Day Snacks

Nachos are one of the most ubiquitous game-day snacks in the United States, without a doubt. You can find them ranging from loaded versions at Tex-Mex restaurants to tortilla chips simply topped with melted cheese at a sports bar to mounds of chips doused in industrially-canned cheese sauce in stadiums across the country. However, the snack has a rich history and, as it turns out, there is a right way to make nachos so that they don't end up a soggy mess covered in everything imaginable. That's why in Texas, we top each chip individually, rather than making a big messy pile.

Eating Texas-style nachos is a much cleaner affair. They are easier to pick up with your hands, plus you get toppings on every chip. With standard nachos most of the ingredients land on the top of the pile, leaving a bunch of naked, flavorless chips at the bottom, which, of course, nobody wants to eat. Although opening a bag of tortilla chips and piling them up with toppings is a time-saving convenience, to make a proper plate of Texas-style nachos, it is worth following a few extra steps.

Nachos are believed to have been invented by Ignacio Anaya (Nacho to his friends), chef at the old Victory Club in Piedras Negras, Mexico, in 1943 when a group of customers walked into the restaurant after it had closed. He came up with a simple dish using the ingredients he had on hand: He cut some corn tortillas into quarters and fried them, topped each with cheese and pickled jalapeños, and baked them. The customers were so pleased with the dish that they decided to call it Nacho's special. From there, the dish caught on like wild fire, with versions popping up everywhere — some improved, some sadly oversimplified and not worth eating (enter that nasty pile of Dayglo cheese).

To make the best nachos ever, cut the corn tortillas into four wedges and fry them in about an inch of oil until crisp. Drain the extra oil on paper towels if you wish, then place on a baking sheet and top each with longhorn cheddar and pickled jalapeños. To go the extra mile, spread them with refried beans (instead of whole beans) before topping, then bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for about five minutes. A shortcut tip that works is to use round tortilla chips to make individual nachos the Texas way. You can add meat if you wish, just don't overdo it. Last but not least, don't pile the toppings on top of the nachos; rather, serve them on the side to keep the tortillas crisp.