“Tex-Mex is an Anglo invention created by Anglos for Anglos,” he said. “It’s an imitation of Texas-Mexican food.”
Nachos, for example, were created by Ignacio Anaya (his nickname was Nacho) in the 1940s at a restaurant in Piedras Negras, Mexico, when he baked tortilla chips with cheese and topped it with jalapeños for some women who asked for food as the restaurant was closing, Mr. Medrano said. Mr. Anaya was inspired by the quesadillas his aunt made him with corn tortillas.
But the nachos we know today, with glops of warm, emulsified yellow cheese, were popularized by Frank Liberto, who served them for the first time at a Texas Rangers baseball game in 1976, Mr. Medrano said.