Everyone loves to snack on sumptuous tortilla chips made from corn or wheat tortillas. The tortillas are cut into wedges and then fried or baked to be eaten with dips. Food lovers across the world are in love with tortilla chips and eat them with great enthusiasm. These chips come in various shapes with triangular being the most popular one. Tortilla chips can also be served as a side snack or as an appetizer along with the main dish. They can be enjoyed with many toppings such as salsa, cheese dips and ranch etc.
Tortilla chips contain many health benefits and consuming them can prove to be very beneficial. They contain vitamin B6 and panthotenic acid. Apart from this, other important vitamins like vitamin B12, niacin and riboflavin are also present. By eating tortilla chips, you can complete your 5% daily requirement of sodium. Magnesium, copper, phosphorus, calcium as well as zinc are also present in these chips. All the vitamins and minerals present in tortilla chips are very useful for the various functions of the human body.
You can eat either corn tortilla chips or flour tortilla chips. Ground corn is used to make the former while the latter is made from wheat. There are many different varieties of corn and corn chips come in many colors ranging from dark-blue to white colored ones. On the other hand, flour tortilla chips are mostly in white or beige color. There is not much difference in the two types apart from the way they taste.
Tortilla chips are also available in various flavors manufactured by different companies and you can choose the ones that you love eating. For a healthier option, snack on the multigrain and flaxseed tortilla chips. You can also opt for sweet chili or the lemon flavored ones among a host of other interesting flavors.
Tortilla chips are most commonly savored with cheese dips. Right from guacamole to salsa, one can have endless options in the kinds of dips to choose from.
The popularity of tortilla chips can be gauged from the fact that Feb 24th is celebrated as the National
Tortilla Chip Day. Tortilla chips were invented by Rebecca Webb Carranza in Los Angeles during the 1940′s. Some of the tortillas that came out of the automatic tortilla machine were not of the correct shape and these were cut into triangles. They were fried and a bag of these chips was sold for a dime by the El Zarape Tortilla Factory.
The popularity of tortilla chips rose to a great height after their invention. In 1994, Carranza was awarded the Golden Tortilla Award because of her immense role in the Mexican food industry.
