Tortilla chip
From Free net encyclopedia
A tortilla chip is a snack food made from corn tortillas, which are cut into wedges and then fried. Corn tortillas are made of corn, vegetable oil, salt and water. Although invented in Los Angeles in the late 1940's, they are considered to be a form of Mexican food, called totopos in Spanish. Though usually made of yellow corn (as pictured), they can also be made of white, blue, or red corn.
The tortilla chip was invented 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. 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, and she died in Phoenix, Arizona, on January 19, 2006, at the age of 98.
Tortilla chips are the quintessential and often complimentary appetizer in Tex-Mex and Mexican restaurants in the U.S. and elsewhere. They are typically served with a dip, such as salsa or guacamole. When not served with a dip, the chips are often seasoned with herbs and spices. Although now available worldwide, the United States is one of the main markets for tortilla chips. Commercial brand names for tortilla chips include Tostitos and Doritos.
A more elaborate dish utilizing tortilla chips is nachos, which is tortilla chips served with melted cheese to dip in, although often other toppings are added or substituted, such as salsa (such as pico de gallo), beans, meat, guacamole, sour cream, and pickled jalapeños.
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. Note that both tortilla and corn chips are referred to as "corn chips" in Australia and Oceania. The main snack food competing with tortilla and corn chips are fried chips made from potatoes, known as potato chips or crisps.