Who created the dish now known as nachos in 1943?

Ignacio Anaya created the dish now known as nachos in 1943.

Anaya was a maître d’ at the Victory Club restaurant in Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico, near the United States border. According to the widely repeated origin story, several customers arrived after the kitchen had closed, so Anaya assembled a quick snack from tortilla chips, cheese, and sliced jalapeño peppers.

He reportedly called the creation Nachos especiales, using his nickname, Nacho. The dish later spread across the border and developed into many forms, often featuring seasoned meat, beans, sour cream, guacamole, or additional toppings.

The original story is sometimes simplified into the claim that nachos were invented in Texas, but the commonly credited creation site is Piedras Negras, Mexico. The snack’s later popularity in Tex-Mex restaurants helped make “nachos” an internationally recognized food name.