The type of pepper traditionally included on the original nachos was the jalapeño. Ignacio “Nacho” Anaya’s first version used sliced pickled jalapeño peppers alongside tortilla pieces and melted cheese, creating the basic combination that became the modern nacho.
Anaya prepared the dish in 1943 at the Victory Club in Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico. He cut freshly fried corn tortillas into triangles, added cheese and jalapeño slices, and heated the pieces until the cheese melted. The result was a simple snack made for American military officers’ wives who had come to the restaurant when the kitchen staff was unavailable.
Modern nachos often include many kinds of peppers, including serranos, poblanos, banana peppers, or habaneros. That variety can make the answer seem less definite, but those are later adaptations rather than the pepper associated with Anaya’s original recipe. The jalapeño also helped establish the familiar balance of creamy melted cheese, crisp tortilla, and moderate heat. Recipes and accounts differ slightly over whether the jalapeño was added before or after heating, but its identity is consistent.