Ignacio Anaya

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In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Anaya and the second or maternal family name is García.
Ignacio Anaya
Born
Ignacio Anaya García

August 15, 1895 (1895-08-15)
Acuña, Coahuila, Mexico
DiedNovember 9, 1975(1975-11-09) (aged 80)
Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico
Occupation(s)maître d', restaurateur
Known forInventor of nachos
SpouseMarie Antoinette Salinas
Children9

Ignacio Anaya García (August 15, 1895 – November 9, 1975) was a Mexican maître d'hotel[1][2] who invented the popular Tex-Mex dish nachos at the Victory Club restaurant a couple miles from the border of Texas in Mexico in 1943.[1][3][4][2] After nachos grew in popularity, Anaya was promoted to chef, and he eventually started his own restaurant in the 1960s.[3]

His nickname was Nacho, derived from the Spanish Ignacio, the Spanish version of Ignatius.[5]

Life and career

Born in San Carlos, Manuel Benavides, Chihuahua, Mexico[3] on August 15 , 1895,[6] he worked at the Victory Club restaurant in Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico, a restaurant close to the US border and popular with Americans from a nearby base during World War II. Anaya created nachos while working there one day in 1943 [1][3] when a group of US Army wives entered and the chef was nowhere to be found.[4] As recounted by his son:

My father was maître d' and he said "Let me go quick and fix something for you." He went into the kitchen, picked up tostadas, grated some cheese on them—Wisconsin cheese, the round one—and put them under the salamander (a broiling unit that browns the top of foods). He pulled them out after a couple of minutes, all melted, and put on a slice of jalapeño.

— Ignacio Anaya Jr.[2]

The dish became so popular, the owner of the Victory Club, Roberto de los Santos, put his creation on the menu as Nacho's Especiales.[3] When the Victory Club closed in 1961, Anaya opened his own restaurant, Nacho's Restaurant, in Piedras Negras.[3][7]

Anaya married Marie Antoinette Salinas, with whom he had 9 children.[8]

Death and legacy

Anaya died on November 9, 1975,[6] leaving a son, Ignacio Anaya Jr., who went into banking,[9] and 5 other surviving children.[8] Posthumously, he was honored with a bronze plaque in Piedras Negras.[10] To celebrate Anaya's invention, the city of Piedras Negras holds a three-day Nacho Fest every year around October 21, the International Day of the Nacho.[3]

Smithsonian Magazine ranked nachos as a sports stadium favorite in 1976, following the invention of a processed cheese sauce by Frank Liberto.[10] Howard Cosell added to the popularity of nachos during a September 4, 1978 NFL game by weaving "nachos" into his commentary.[11] Although the original nachos contained only three ingredients, nachos can now be found with a wide variety of toppings, reflecting the enduring popularity of Anaya's contribution.[12][13]

On August 15, 2019, Google honored Anaya with a Doodle celebrating what would have been his 124th birthday.[14][15]

References

  1. ^ a b c LaRoche, Clarence J. (May 23, 1954). "Nacho's? Natch!". San Antonio Express and News.
  2. ^ a b c Haram, Karen (February 14, 2002). "The Legend of Nacho's Appetizer". Sun Sentinel. Sun Sentinel. Retrieved August 22, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "Action Line". Corpus Christi Caller-Times. March 25, 1974.
  4. ^ a b Andrew F. Smith (March 2009). The Oxford Companion to American Food and Drink. Oxford University Press. pp. 209–10. ISBN 978-0195387094.
  5. ^ "Nach derivation". latina.com. Archived from the original on September 21, 2019. Retrieved August 19, 2019. Nacho is a nickname for Ignacio, the Spanish form of Ignatius.
  6. ^ a b Berrueto, Gonazález (1999). "Anaya Garcia, Ignacio". Diccionario biográfico de Coahuila. Gobierno del Estado. ISBN 9789687568287.
  7. ^ Salter, Bill (June 15, 1969). "'Nacho' Inventor Hasn't Profited". San Antonio Express and News.
  8. ^ a b Jiménez 2008.
  9. ^ Ellerbee 2005, p. 74.
  10. ^ a b Andrew, Scott (August 15, 2019). "Thursday's Google Doodle honors the man who invented nachos". CNN. Retrieved August 16, 2019.
  11. ^ Munsey; Suppes. "Arlington Stadium". Ballparks.com. Retrieved December 30, 2008.
  12. ^ "History". Originators of Concession Nachos. Ricos Products Co., Inc. Archived from the original on February 14, 2009. Retrieved December 30, 2008.
  13. ^ Sokolov, Raymond (February 6, 2006). "The Search for the Perfect Nacho". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved June 27, 2008.
  14. ^ Young, Sarah (August 15, 2019). "Ignacio Anaya García: Google Doodle honours the man who invented nachos". The Independent. Retrieved August 16, 2019.
  15. ^ Brett Molina (August 15, 2019). "Chips and cheese: Google's latest doodle honors Ignacio Anaya García, the inventor of nachos". USA Today. Retrieved August 16, 2019.

Sources

Further reading

  • "Everyone Knows His Name...". Hispanic Link Weekly Report. Hispanic Link News Service Incorporated. 2006. p. 2.
  • Nickel, Sandra and Oliver Dominguez (2020). Nacho's Nachos: The Story Behind the World's Favorite Snack. New York: Lee and Low.
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