Contests, Music, and Ballet in the Nacho Festival of Coauhila

The history of one of America’s most popular snacks, the nacho, dates back to 1943 during the Second World War when maitre Ignacio “Nacho” Anaya, working at the Victoria restaurant in Piedras Negras, in the northern state of Coahuila, came up with a creative solution to satisfy the appetite of the wives of some U.S. soldiers from Eagle Pass, Texas, just across the border, who were in a shopping trip in Mexico.

Anaya cut some tortillas into triangles, fried them and then added yellow Wisconsin cheese, calling this Nacho´s Speciality. Now, this dish is served as an appetizer at bars or restaurants in the United States, with toppings of meat, refried bean or shredded melted cheese.

A traditional Nacho Festival will be held this year from October 24th through the 26th in  birthplace of nachos, Piedras Negras, Coahuila in the Plaza de las Culturas (Town Square of the Cultures). The festival is a free open air event where there will be ballet performances, musical groups and contests.

One of the biggest contests to be held is the making of a gigantic three-meter nacho.  Made with 88 pounds of dough, 44 pounds of cheese, six gallons of canned sliced chile pepper, known as jalapeño (it is always in the Mexican version of  this recipe now), and more than one gallon of oil, this nacho gets bigger and bigger each year!

Two other interesting contests are the world’s tiniest nacho, which can only be seen through an ophthalmologist microscope and a contest to see who can eat the most pickled jalapeños in two minutes.  The record is 38 jalapeños.

For more information please visit www.ocvpiedrasnegras.com.