National Tortilla Chip Day 2021: From Invention to Being Designated as Official State Snack, Here Are 11 Facts About These Crispy Triangle Chips

National Tortilla Chip Day is annually celebrated on February 24 in the United States of America. This event is observed to celebrate this salty snack. Tortilla can be eaten plain or by dipping it in spicy salsa. Tortilla chips can be found in any Mexican restaurant near your home or can simply be made at home. You can heat some oil, cut up some tortillas, fry, and enjoy. Tortilla chips are made from corn tortillas cut into wedges and then fried. The tortillas are made from corn, vegetable oil, salt, and water. Corns used to prepare tortillas are usually yellow corn, white, blue or red corn. On the occasion of National Tortilla Chip Day 2021, we bring you eleven interesting facts about this famous snack in the United States.

The United States is one of the primary markets for tortilla chips. Nachos are also made with tortilla chips. Nachos are tortilla chips served with melted or shredded cheese, and often additional toppings are added, such as meat, salsa, tomatoes, diced onion, lettuce, olives, jalapenos, guacamole and sour cream. As per the data of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), 100 g of tortilla chips consist of 465 calories. Now let us take a look at some facts about tortillas. National Banana Bread Day 2021 in US: From Dark Chocolate Banana Bread to Coffee Infused Banana Bread, Here Are 5 Yummiest Recipes of This Sweet Delicacy.

11 Facts About Tortillas

1. Rebecca Webb Carranza, the president of the El Zarpape Tortilla Factory in Los Angeles in late 1940s, along with her husband, are credited with the beginning of this snack chip. Rebecca came up with the idea of tortilla chips to use up misshaped tortillas instead of discarding them.

2. Tortilla chips and salsa were so popular in Texas that they were designated the official state snack in 2003.

3. Corn tortilla chips are naturally gluten-free.

4. Blue corn tortilla chips have less starch and more protein than white corn tortillas.

5. We associate tortillas with Mexico but they were first made in the USA around the middle of the last century.

6. Tortilla chips are reported to be Jennifer Aniston’s favourite snack.

7. Currently more than 6,300 outlets of Taco Bell offer various tortilla and nacho combinations and flavours.

8. Doritos were the top-ranked tortilla chip brand in the United States in 2015, with over 1.3 billion $ in sales.

9. In the animated movie Despicable Me 2 (2013), Gru turned heads with his sombrero made out of tortilla chips.

10. Tortilla chips are one of the most common snack items in Tex-Mex and Mexican cuisines.

11. The first bag of tortilla chips sold for 10 cents.

On National Tortilla Chip Day 2021, bring a bagful of these crispy snacks home and enjoy it with different sauces or dishes. Also, try to explore more about these triangular chips on this day. Share your picture enjoying Tortilla Chips on National Tortilla Chip Day on social media to become part of this yummy day's celebration.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 25, 2021 08:49 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).