AFAIK the etymology of the word is hazy–the most credible resource I’ve seen declares the term to be derived directly from the inventor of this gastronomical delight: Aurelio Segundo Mendoza Buendia Nacho. Not a Brazilian, as you’d expect from the name, but a Mexican hero (to snack lovers) from a tiny village in Chihuahua. Aparently he was hungry and drunk on Corona one saturday night and only had a bag of stale tortilla chips. In order to make them palatable he grated some cheese on 'em, tossed on a few jalapeno slices and stuck it in the microwave.
His brother in law, whose name eludes me at the moment, came over to watch the dogfights on his TV and helped him obliterate the snack. “Aurelio,” he said, “This is great! Mind if I serve this in my restaurant?” Aurelio, who was really stewed from so much cervesa, blithered, “ci.” And they watched dogfights for the rest of the evening without incident.
Months later, an American fellow by the name of Pedro Valenzuela Garcia was visiting his ailing grandmother who happened to live in this village. At a restaurant he was served the chips & cheeze concoction as an apetizer. He ordered the Jalapeno Chicken (a local specialty) and when the waiter (Aurelio’s Brother in Law…Sancho?) brought it to him he asked, “That apetizer was marvelous! What do you call it?” “Oh that? That was Nacho’s”
Pedro was so impressed with the dish that he incorporated it into the menu of his own restaurant, the Seattle, Washington-based “Garcia’s” under the simple moniker: Nachos.
Since that time, of course, all manner of toppings have been added to the dish–chicken, refried beans, seasoned beef…but it can not be denied that, on a cold and lonely night, when there’s nothing on the tube and nothing doing in one’s personal life, there is no closer connection between human and heaven (apart from heroin, but that’s illegal) than a good old plate of yellow Santitas, Ortega pickled jalapenos, maybe some sliced olives, and sharp Tillamook cheddar. Accompany with beer or iced tea and you’ll find where Heaven and Nirvana meet!
–Inigo
