- Tortilla chip
A tortilla chip is a
snack food made from corntortilla s, which are cut into wedges and then fried (alternately they may be discs pressed out of cornmasa then fried or baked). Corn tortillas are made of corn,vegetable oil ,salt and water. Although first mass-produced in Los Angeles in the late 1940s, tortilla chips are considered to be aMexican food . Though usually made of yellow corn (as pictured), they can also be made of white, blue, or red corn.The tortilla chip was popularized by Rebecca Webb Carranza as a way to make use of misshapen tortillas rejected from the automated tortilla manufacturing machine that she and her husband used at their Mexican delicatessen and tortilla factory in southwest
Los Angeles . [cite news
last =Associated Press
title = Rebecca Carranza; a pioneer of the tortilla chip; 98
work =The San Diego Union-Tribune
publisher = Union-Tribune Publishing Co.
date = February 24, 2006
url = http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20060224/news_1m24carranza.html
accessdate = 2007-11-04 ] Carranza found that the discarded tortillas, cut into triangles and fried, were a popular snack, and she sold them for a dime a bag at the El Zarape Tortilla Factory. In 1994, Carranza received the Golden Tortilla award for her contribution to the Mexican food industry. She died inPhoenix, Arizona , on January 19, 2006, at the age of ninety-eight.Tortilla chips are the quintessential and often complimentary
appetizer in Tex-Mex and Mexicanrestaurants in the U.S. and elsewhere. Their popularity outside of California saw a steady rise in the late 1970s when they began to compete with corn chips, the dipping chip of choice during the first three quarters of the 20th century. They are typically served with a dip, such as salsa,chili con queso , orguacamole . When not served with a dip, the chips are often seasoned with herbs and spices. Although now available worldwide, theUnited States is one of the main markets for tortilla chips. Commercial brand names for tortilla chips includeTostitos andDoritos .A more elaborate dish utilizing tortilla chips is
nacho s, which consists tortilla chips served with melted or shreddedcheese , although often other toppings are added or substituted, such as meat, salsa (such aspico de gallo ),refried bean s,guacamole ,sour cream ,diced onions ,olives , and pickledjalapeño s. More elaborate nachos are often baked for a short period of time to warm the tortillas and melt shredded cheese. First created circa 1943 byIgnacio "Nacho" Anaya , nachos may represent the earliest known creation of tortilla chips.A similar fried corn snack is the
corn chip , which is not made from a tortilla, but from corn meal which has been processed into a particular shape, typically a small scoop.Fritos are an example of this. The principal difference between the corn in tortilla and corn chips is that the corn in a tortilla chip has undergone a process known asnixtamalization , which involves processing the raw corn withquicklime . Note that both tortilla and corn chips are referred to as "corn chips" inAustralia andOceania . The main snack food competing with tortilla and corn chips is fried chips made from potatoes, known aspotato chips or "crisps".Other fried or baked
tortilla ormasa products*
Chalupa s
*Flauta s
*Gordita s
*Quesadilla s
*Sope s
*Tlacoyo s
*Tlayuda s
*Tostada s
*Totopo sReferences
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