The Spanish term listed as an alternative to tortilla chips in the nachos article is totopos.
“Totopos” is a Spanish-language term for pieces of tortilla that have been toasted or fried until crisp. In the context of nachos, it refers to the corn-tortilla chips that form the dish’s crunchy base. The word is especially associated with Mexican food terminology, although English menus usually use “tortilla chips.”
The distinction between totopos and the other options matters. Sopes are thick, small masa cakes with raised edges, while chalupas and tostadas are separate tortilla-based preparations. A tostada is generally a crisp tortilla topped with ingredients; it is not simply a synonym for every tortilla chip.
Nachos began with fried pieces of corn tortilla rather than a standardized commercial chip. Ignacio “Nacho” Anaya assembled the first widely credited version in 1943 in Piedras Negras, Mexico, adding cheese and jalapeño peppers. Over time, prepared tortilla chips became the usual base, but the older Spanish vocabulary remains useful when describing the ingredient and its culinary roots.