Ignacio Anaya

Ignacio "El Nacho" Anaya García (15 August 1895 – 9 November 1975) was a Mexican maître d' and restaurateur, who is credited as the inventor of nachos.[2][3] His nickname was Nacho, derived from the Spanish Ignacio, the Spanish version of Ignatius.[4]

This article uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is Anaya and the second or maternal family name is García.
Ignacio Anaya
Born
Ignacio Anaya García

15 August 1895
Manuel Benavides, Chihuahua, Mexico[1]
DiedNovember 9, 1975(1975-11-09) (aged 80)
Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico
OccupationChef, restaurateur
Known forInventor of Nachos
Spouse(s)Marie Antoinette Salinas
Children9

Life and career

Born Ignacio Anaya Garcia in Manuel Benavides, Chihuahua, Mexico on 15 August 1895,[1] he worked at the Victory Club (later named El Moderno) restaurant in Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico, across the border from Eagle Pass, Texas. According to the Oxford Companion to American Food and Drink, the first time he created nachos it was a result of Anaya not being able to find the chef when a group of wives from the Eagle Pass Army Airfield Base across the border arrived at his restaurant in 1943: "Not wanting to turn away the patrons, he put on his chef’s hat. He looked around the kitchen and threw together what he had, which consisted of neat canapes of tortilla chips, cheese, and jalapeno peppers".[3][5][6] Anaya began serving the dish regularly at the restaurant, calling them "Nachos Especiales".[7][8]

He married Marie Antoinette Salinas, with whom he had 9 children.[9] In 1960 Garcia had opened his own restaurant, called "El Nacho"[10] in Eagle Pass,[11][12] where he served T-bone steak, tampiqueñas, and enchiladas amongst other things.[9] In a 1969 interview with the San Antonio Express-News he stated that he never made any money from the invention, saying: "The only man making money on nachos is the man selling the cheese and jalapeños."[12]

Death and legacy

He died on 9 November 1975,[1] leaving a son Ignacio Anaya, Jr who went into banking,[13] and 5 other surviving children.[9] Posthumously, he was honored with a bronze plaque in Piedras Negras. Also after his death, 21 October was declared as International Nacho Day.[14]

While nachos didn't become popular during his lifetime, Smithsonian Magazine ranked them as a sports stadium favorite in 1976, following the invention of a processed cheese sauce by Frank Liberto which was used to dip the chips in.[14] Thereafter, nachos became popular worldwide, including after a 4 September 1978 NFL game where Howard Cosell popularized the term "nachos".[15] As of the present, nachos come with an extremely wide variety of toppings, reflecting the enduring popularity of Ignacio's contribution.[16][17]

On 15 August 2019, Google honored him with a Doodle celebrating what would have been his 124th birthday.[18][19]

References
  1. Berrueto González 1999, p. 29.
  2. Julia Webster (15 August 2019). "Nacho Average Doodle! Google Celebrates Ignacio Anaya García, the Creator of Nachos". Time. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  3. Andrew F. Smith (March 2009). The Oxford Companion to American Food and Drink. Oxford University Press. pp. 209–10. ISBN 978-0195387094.
  4. "Nach derivation". latina.com. Retrieved 19 August 2019. Nacho is a nickname for Ignacio, the Spanish form of Ignatius.
  5. Josh Chetwynd (May 2012). How the Hot Dog Found Its Bun: Accidental Discoveries And Unexpected Inspirations That Shape What We Eat And Drink. pp. 13–14. ISBN 978-0762777501. Nachos: Revenous Army Wives
  6. Kitchen Daily (31 August 2012). "Ignacio Anaya: The Real Inventor Of Nachos". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 16 August 2019. He couldn’t locate the cook. Not wanting to turn away the patrons, he put on his chef’s hat. He looked around the kitchen and threw together what he had, which according to "The Oxford Companion to American Food and Drink" consisted of neat canapes of tortilla chips, cheese, and jalapeno peppers."
  7. Orr 1999.
  8. Browning-Blas 2005.
  9. Jiménez 2008.
  10. Morris, Chris (15 August 2019). "Meet Ignacio Anaya García, the Man Who Invented Nachos, In Today's Google Doodle". Fortune.
  11. Herrera-Sobek 2012, p. 825.
  12. Walsh 2004, p. 193.
  13. Ellerbee 2005, p. 74.
  14. Andrew, Scott (15 August 2019). "Thursday's Google Doodle honors the man who invented nachos". CNN. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  15. Munsey; Suppes. "Arlington Stadium". Ballparks.com. Retrieved 2008-12-30.
  16. "History". Originators of Concession Nachos. Ricos Products Co., Inc. Archived from the original on 2009-02-14. Retrieved 2008-12-30.
  17. Sokolov, Raymond (2006-02-06). "The Search for the Perfect Nacho". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2008-06-27.
  18. Young, Sarah (15 August 2019). "Ignacio Anaya García: Google Doodle honours the man who invented nachos". The Independent. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  19. Brett Molina (15 August 2019). "Chips and cheese: Google's latest doodle honors Ignacio Anaya García, the inventor of nachos". USA Today. Retrieved 16 August 2019.

Sources

Further reading
  • "Everyone Knows His Name…". Hispanic Link Weekly Report. Hispanic Link News Service Incorporated. 2006. p. 2.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
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