According to Nick Rogers, who has researched the history of cheese dip, the dish was invented by Blackie Donnely, the original owner of Mexico Chiquito restaurants. The Mexico Chiquito chain, which now has multiple locations in central Arkansas, was opened by Donnely and his wife in North Little Rock in 1935. Whether or not Donnely’s cheese dip was the first is hard to say, but his restaurant is indeed famous for its secret recipe.
Others claim that cheese dip was actually invented either at a Mexican restaurant in Hot Springs or in Texas. Other experts, such as Mark Abernathy, a Texas native who has established various Mexican restaurants in the Little Rock (Pulaski County) area, say that it should instead be considered an authentic Mexican food. Mexicans have many cheese-based dishes in which cheese acts as a filling or topping for tortillas, such as Queso Chihuahua. However, some food experts claim that these dishes do not count as cheese dips because they do not include meats or vegetables as ingredients.
However, a cheese dip, according to the rules of the World Cheese Dip Championships, is defined as “a dip made of primarily cheese(s) or processed cheese product, with or without additional ingredients, not limited to meats, vegetables, or dairy additives, served warm or hot and eaten primarily by dipping a hard tortilla or chip into said product.” The most popular variation involves processed cheese, such as Velveeta or Kraft, mixed with chili sauce, but there are thousands of recipes that use various types of cheese, such as a sweeter version made with cream cheese, and there are even vegan alternatives with no cheese at all.
In 2009, Rogers released a twenty-minute documentary titled In Queso Fever: A Movie about Cheese Dip. The film became popular on the video-sharing site Vimeo. Through interviews with tourists, Arkansas natives, historians, and restaurant owners, Rogers explores how important cheese dip is to Arkansas as a part of southern food culture, comparing it to the barbeque of Memphis, Tennessee, and Philly cheesesteaks of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
After the success of the documentary, Rogers—along with event planner John McLure—began the World Cheese Dip Championships. The event is sponsored by Velveeta and Ro-Tel, products that are often key ingredients in cheese dip.
According to encyclopediaofarkansas.net. Source of photos: internet
