Snacking is a favorite hobby and habit of most of us. Some of the delicious crispy snacks include nachos and tortillas. However, both look and might taste somewhat different. Both of these scrumptious snacks are from popular Mexican cuisine. Most Mexican restaurants lure customers with these tasty snacks. These snacks have attracted a large number of people around the globe.
Nachos vs Tortilla Chips
The difference between nachos and Tortilla chips is that the ingredients present and the composition of the ingredients. To prepare nachos, tortilla chips are used as the base. Some of the common ingredients for the two snacks are corn, cornmeal, flour, and wheat. Often, meat is also used in preparing nachos.
Nachos are the popular and delicious food right away from Mexican food. They are made up of tortilla chips which are layered, flavored, and seasoned with vegetables, cheese, and meat. It is cooked carefully for the perfect flavor, taste, composition, and texture. In restaurants, these are usually served as appetizers, or they are also eaten as snacks.
Tortilla chips are triangular-shaped Mexican snacks that are liked and enjoyed by a lot of people of different nationalities. Vegetable oil, salt, water, corn, and wheat flour are some of the primarily used ingredients. These chips are slightly salted and sometimes also have a variety of flavors, tastes, and seasonings.
Comparison Table Between Nachos and Tortilla Chips
| Parameters of Comparison | Nachos | Tortilla |
| Ingredients and composition | Nachos are made up of corn as the base for the chips, mostly they are nothing but tortilla chips layered, seasoned, and combined with some ingredients that include meat and vegetables. | Tortilla chips are made with wheat, both white and yellow corn in addition to cornmeal. It is seasoned and flavored slightly after frying them. |
| Cost | Nachos are expensive since it has more ingredients, flavors and the preparation takes more time. | Tortilla chips are less expensive since they are basic. |
| Availability | Nachos are found in restaurants, or you can easily prepare them at home. | Tortilla chips are easily found in restaurants, groceries, and supermarkets. It is quite difficult to prepare them at home. |
| Preparation Time | Nachos take a longer time to prepared. | Tortillas are basic and can be prepared easily in less time. |
| Storage | Nachos are not ideal to be stored and eaten after a longer period of time since they cannot be reheated as they will turn stale quickly. | Tortilla Chips can be easily stored and stored for a longer time when compared with nachos. |
What are Nachos?
Nachos were very first prepared by Anya in 1940 in Mexico. The first basic ingredient used in nachos were corn, maize, and prominently tortilla chips. The total calories present or the nutritional value of the snack depends on the type of ingredients and the amount of meat used.
It usually varies from one nacho to the other. The taste comes from the type of cheese, sauce, meat, jalapenos, and vegetables. This crispy snack is perfect for an appetizer and sometimes also for a whole meal.
When nachos are made up of tortilla chips, they are comparatively healthier, and the calorie count is less. It is also rich in sodium, calcium, and fat. There are quite a few varieties of nachos. Some are made up of layering beans, cheese, or even beef.
Barbeque nachos are also available where the barbeque sauce is used instead of cheese. In poutine nachos, instead of cheese, curd and gravy are served. There are plenty of variations and combinations of ingredients that are used in the seasoning and layering of nachos.
This accounts for the taste. The taste of the nachos differs from place to place, country to country, and region to region. Sometimes nachos are also used as a dessert.
What are Tortilla Chips?
Tortilla chips are the most liked and popular snack in the salted snack category. A lot of people from all over the world seem to love it. Small pieces of tortillas are baked and deep-fried to form the famous tortilla chips.
They are crispier and calorie-dense. They possess an alkaline flavor. They absorb less amount of oil during the process of frying. Lime, salt, oil, flavors, and seasonings are the main reasons for the enhanced and delicious taste of this crispy snack.
The corn is cooked, boiled, and heated in a pot immersed for over 8 to 16 hours to get the perfect texture, crispness, and taste. This fried corn is washed in soaking cooking oil to add flavors.
A tortilla press is used to bring the desired shape, or sometimes it is also done with hands. These are then baked with a comal. This is a product with a longer shelf life. This is now seasoned and flavored with meat, vegetables, sauces, and cheese.
Masa is used to make corn tortilla chips. Masa is made up of corn soaked in lime and water to add flavor and bring the required taste. The color and taste of the tortilla chips depend on the ingredients and their composition.
Main Differences Between Nachos and Tortilla Chips
- Nachos use tortilla chips as a base ingredient, whereas wheat or flour is the base ingredient for tortilla chips.
- Nachos are more expensive than Tortilla chips.
- Nachos are primarily available only in restaurants, whereas Tortillas are found in supermarkets and wending machines too.
- Nachos take more time, whereas tortillas are prepared in less time.
- Nachos are difficult to store as they don’t remain fresh for a longer time. Tortillas can be stored longer.
Conclusion
If you feel like feasting on nachos, you can either prepare it at home or buy it from a restaurant. In contrast, tortilla chips are available everywhere in restaurants, grocery stores, and many other places.
They are usually packed in bags or packets. They can be eaten, and the leftover can be stored to eat it later. Nachos, on the other hand, require more preparation since the meat should be cooked enough whereas the vegetables are partially cooked.
Both the snacks are commonly eaten as an appetizer or snack. However, nachos comparatively are eaten as a complete whole meal if it is present in enough quantity.
References
- https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1365-2621.1983.tb10816.x
- https://childressvineyards.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/2020_November-Bistro-Take-Out-Menu_For-Web.pdf
Table of Contents
