What did Ignacio Anaya call his original creation?

Ignacio Anaya called his original creation “Nachos especiales.”

In 1943, Anaya was working at the Victory Club restaurant in Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico, just across the border from Eagle Pass, Texas. When a group of American military officers’ wives arrived and the cook was unavailable, Anaya improvised a snack from fried corn tortillas, melted Colby cheese, and sliced pickled jalapeños.

The women enjoyed the dish and asked what it was called. Anaya reportedly named it “Nacho’s Special,” using “Nacho,” a familiar Spanish nickname for Ignacio. The name was later rendered in Spanish as “Nachos especiales,” and the apostrophe was eventually dropped in the English form “nachos.”

A common mix-up is assuming that modern loaded nachos are the original recipe. Anaya’s version was much simpler: tortilla pieces, cheese, and jalapeños. The recipe was printed in the 1954 St. Anne’s Cookbook, helping preserve the early name and preparation.