What Garnacha means
Garnacha is a Mexican antojito name of Spanish origin meaning "small fried masa cake". It comes from Spanish garnacha (a long robe; also a cheap fry-up). It is pronounced gar-NAH-chah, and it is most associated with Veracruz.
Etymology uncertain. In peninsular Spanish garnacha named a robe of office and later a wine grape; how it attached to a fried masa snack in Veracruz and Oaxaca is undocumented.
About this origin. The etymology is uncertain, disputed, or the name is a modern brand rather than an old word. The reading above is the best-supported one; food writing repeats stories that the dictionaries do not confirm.
This is a site about what Mexican words mean, so there is no recipe here. For the name itself: Antojito means "little craving". These are the masa-based street foods named for their shape more often than their filling: a sope is a small mound, a huarache is a sandal, a gordita is a fat little one, a tlacoyo is an oval patty.
