National Chimichanga Day is a holiday that’s observed on the 26th of September and encourages everyone to enjoy one of these deep-fried pieces of heaven. What exactly is a chimichanga? It’s a popular Mexican dish that’s made of a flour tortilla stuffed with seasoned meat, cheese, beans, and/or rice, and is then deep-fried until it’s crispy and delicious.

It’s then served with salsa, cheese, sour cream, and guacamole. It’s a popular dish in both Mexican and Tex-Mex restaurants around the U.S., which makes it a dish that’s quite easy to find. Of course, anyone wanting to celebrate this holiday can always make their own.

After all, it only requires a few ingredients, a little bit of know-how, and a small amount of time to make a dish that your friends and family will rave about for weeks to come.

The History Of National Chimichanga Day

The chimichanga isn’t a dish that’s been around for a very long time. In fact, it’s a dish that’s probably only been around for about a hundred years. Unfortunately, no one really knows when this dish was made or who made it.

A restaurant called El Charro in Tucson, Arizona, is the one that supposedly came up with the name for it, but we can’t independently verify that with anyone else because a number of different restaurants have claimed to have invented it. All that we know is that the name of this dish is Spanish for “thingamajig.”

We’re also unsure of exactly when National Chimichanga Day was invented. We know that it predates the 1990s because it was first celebrated in Mexican restaurants across the Midwest.

One such restaurant, Mendoza’s of St. Louis, Missouri, had an employee who proclaimed a National Chimichanga Day — although we believe that holiday was closer to Cinco de Mayo than to the date of September 26th. This is all just a long-winded way of saying we’re not exactly sure when this holiday was created.

Observing National Chimichanga Day

There is no wrong way to observe this holiday if you’re actually serving chimichangas on this day. If you aren’t serving these delicious pockets of fried goodness on this holiday, then what are you actually doing with your life?

We like pork chimichangas with salsa, topped with shredded lettuce, sour cream, and guacamole, but you can make whatever type of chimichanga you desire.

Common varieties include chicken and beef, although there are also vegetarian options available. After you purchase or make your chimichangas, don’t forget to spread the word about this holiday using the hashtag #NationalChimichangaDay on social media.