National Tortilla Chip Day is on Wednesday, February 24, 2027, and it falls on February 24 every year. It celebrates the crunchy triangles that carry salsa, guacamole and queso. They’re simple to make, too: all you need is corn tortillas, oil and salt.
When Is National Tortilla Chip Day?
It’s always February 24. It’s an unofficial food day, not a federal holiday.
Who Started National Tortilla Chip Day?
No founder or start year has been documented.
Background: who invented tortilla chips?
Fried tortilla pieces have long been part of Mexican cooking. In the U.S., Rebecca Webb Carranza is credited with turning them into a packaged snack.
In the 1940s, she fried misshapen tortillas from her family’s Los Angeles tortilla-making machines for a party. By the 1960s, her “Tort Chips” were the core of the family’s El Zarape business. She died in 2006 at age 98.
How nachos were born
In 1943, in Piedras Negras, Mexico, a group of U.S. military wives from nearby Fort Duncan arrived after the kitchen had closed.
Ignacio “Nacho” Anaya, at the Victory Club, topped tortilla chips with shredded cheese and sliced jalapeños and heated them. He named them “Nachos Especiales,” TIME reports.
What Are Tortilla Chips Made Of?
Corn tortillas start with nixtamalized corn. Nixtamalization means steeping dried corn in hot water with calcium hydroxide, or lime, then washing off the outer skin, a BYU study explains. The softened corn is ground into masa dough.
Britannica describes the tortilla as a round, thin, flat bread of Mexico, usually made from corn. Cut into wedges and fried, it becomes the chip. The day celebrates that simple, centuries-old craft.
How to Celebrate National Tortilla Chip Day
- Fry your own: cut day-old corn tortillas into six wedges, fry at about 350°F until crisp and salt right away.
- Bake a lighter batch: brush wedges with oil and bake on a sheet pan until golden.
- Make Anaya-style nachos: just chips, shredded cheese and jalapeño slices, baked until bubbly.
- Set up a dip bar: offer pico de gallo, salsa verde, guacamole and black bean dip.
- Cook chilaquiles: simmer chips in red or green salsa and top with a fried egg and crema.
- Season them two ways: toss one batch with lime zest and salt and another with chili powder and cumin.
- Run a taste test: compare a thin restaurant-style chip with a thick, rustic one.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a day for nachos too?
Yes. International Day of the Nacho is October 21, the birthday of Ignacio Anaya, according to TIME.
Is there a day for corn chips?
Yes. National Corn Chip Day is January 29. Corn chips are usually made from masa shaped into strips, not cut from tortillas.
Was Rebecca Webb Carranza honored for her chips?
Yes. She received a Golden Tortilla award in the mid-1990s for her role in the industry.