Guacamole Explained

Alternate Name:Guac
Country:Mexico
Type:Dip
Main Ingredient:Avocados, salt, lime juice, tomato
Variations:Sour cream, basil
Similar Dish:Avocado sauceMantequilla de pobreVenezuelan guasacaca

Guacamole (pronounced as /es/; informally shortened to guac in the United States[1] since the 1980s)[2] is an avocado-based dip, spread, or salad first developed in Mexico.[3] In addition to its use in modern Mexican cuisine, it has become part of international cuisine as a dip, condiment, and salad ingredient.[4] [5]

Etymology and pronunciation

The name comes from Classical Nahuatl Nahuatl languages: āhuacamōlli in Nahuatl languages pronounced as /aːwakaˈmoːlːi/, which literally translates to 'avocado sauce', from āhuacatl[6] in Nahuatl languages pronounced as /aːˈwakat͡ɬ/ 'avocado' + mōlli in Nahuatl languages pronounced as /ˈmoːlːi/ 'sauce' or 'mole'. In Mexican Spanish, it is pronounced pronounced as /es/.[7] [8] In American English, it tends to be pronounced,[9] and this pronunciation is also common in British English, but is more common.[10] [11]

History

Avocado seeds were first found in the Tehuacan Valley of Mexico around 9,000–10,000 years ago (7000–8000 BCE) and had been domesticated by various Mesoamerican groups by 5000 BCE.[12] [13] [14] They were likely cultivated in the Supe Valley in Peru as early as 3100 BCE.[14] In the early 1900s, avocados frequently went by the name alligator pear.[15] In the 1697 book, A New Voyage Round the World, the first known description of a guacamole recipe (though not known by that name) was by English privateer and naturalist William Dampier, who in his visit to Central America during one of his circumnavigations, noted a native preparation made of grinding together avocados, sugar, and lime juice.[16]

Guacamole has increased avocado sales in the U.S., especially on Super Bowl Sunday and Cinco de Mayo.[17] The rising consumption of guacamole is most likely due to the U.S. government lifting a ban on avocado imports in the 1990s and the growth of the U.S. Latino population.[18]

Ingredients

Guacamole is traditionally made by mashing peeled, ripe avocados and salt with a molcajete y tejolote (mortar and pestle).[19] [20] Recipes often call for lime juice, cilantro, onions, and jalapeños. Some non-traditional recipes may call for sour cream, tomatoes, basil, or peas.[21]

Due to the presence of polyphenol oxidase in the cells of avocado, exposure to oxygen in the air causes an enzymatic reaction and develops melanoidin pigment, turning the sauce brown.[22] This result is generally considered unappetizing, and there are several methods (some anecdotal) that are used to counter this effect, such as storing the guacamole in an air-tight container or wrapping tightly in plastic to limit the surface area exposed to the air.[23]

Composition and nutrients

As the major ingredient of guacamole is raw avocado, the nutritional value of the dish derives from avocado vitamins, minerals and fats, providing dietary fibre, several B vitamins, vitamin K, vitamin E and potassium in significant content (see Daily Value percentages in nutrient table for avocado). Avocados are a source of saturated fat, monounsaturated fat and phytosterols, such as beta-sitosterol.[24] [25] They also contain carotenoids, such as beta-carotene, zeaxanthin and lutein.[26]

Similar dishes

Mantequilla de pobre

is a mixture of avocado, tomato, oil, and citrus juice.[27] Despite its name, it predates the arrival of dairy cattle in the Americas, and thus was not originally made as a butter substitute.

Guasacaca

See main article: Wasakaka. Thinner and more acidic,[28] or thick and chunky,[29] guasacaca is a Venezuelan avocado-based sauce; it is made with vinegar,[30] and is served over parrillas (grilled food), arepas, empanadas, and various other dishes. It is common to make the guasacaca with a little hot sauce instead of jalapeño, but like a guacamole, it is not usually served as a hot sauce itself. It is pronounced "wasakaka" in Latin America.[31]

Guacamole falso

Substitute ingredients are sometimes used in place of avocados to produce a thick green sauce called guacamole falso (fake guacamole). Common substitutes include summer squash, green tomatoes and oil-fried jalapeños.[32]

Commercial products

Prepared guacamoles are available in stores, often available refrigerated, frozen or in high pressure packaging which pasteurizes and extends shelf life if products are maintained at 34F40F.[33]

Holiday

National Guacamole Day is celebrated on the same day as Mexican Independence Day, September 16.[34] [35]

In popular culture

On November 20, 2022, Municipo de Peribán, Mexico achieved the Guinness World Records for the largest serving of guacamole. The serving weighed 4,972 kg (10,961 lb) and had 500 people help prepare it.[36]

See also

References

Bibliography

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Oxford Dictionary . https://web.archive.org/web/20130901230311/http://oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/guac. dead. September 1, 2013. August 12, 2018.
  2. Web site: guac Definition of guac in English by Oxford Dictionaries. https://web.archive.org/web/20180820074726/https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/guac . dead . August 20, 2018 . Oxford Dictionaries English. August 20, 2018.
  3. Web site: Zeldes . Leah A. . Eat this! Guacamole, a singing sauce, on its day . Dining Chicago . Chicago's Restaurant & Entertainment Guide, Inc. . November 4, 2009 . November 5, 2009. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20100323081500/http://blog.diningchicago.com/2009/11/04/eat-this-guacamole-a-singing-sauce-on-its-day/. 23 March 2010.
  4. Book: Beard . James . James Beard . Bittman . Mark . Beard on Food: The Best Recipes and Kitchen Wisdom from the Dean of American Cooking . March 14, 2012 . September 4, 2007 . Bloomsbury Publishing USA . 978-1-59691-446-9 . 86–87.
  5. Book: Smith, Andrew F. . The Oxford companion to American food and drink . March 14, 2012 . May 1, 2007 . Oxford University Press . 978-0-19-530796-2 . 144–146.
  6. News: How to Pronounce "Guacamole" in Spanish . ThoughtCo . August 20, 2018.
  7. Book: Claudia R. Guerra. 300 Years of San Antonio and Bexar County. 2018. Trinity University Press. San Antonio, TX. 9781595348500. 55.
  8. Book: Maria de Lourdes Santiago Martínez. Juan López Chávez. Etimologías: introducción a la historia del léxico español. 2004. Pearson Educación. 9789702604938. 241.
  9. Web site: Guacamole: Definition of guacamole in Oxford dictionary (American English) . https://web.archive.org/web/20131003032429/http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/american_english/guacamole . 2013-10-03 .
  10. Web site: Definition of guacamole in English by Oxford Dictionaries . https://web.archive.org/web/20120712103302/http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/guacamole . dead . July 12, 2012 . Oxford Dictionaries English . 21 August 2018.
  11. Web site: Etymology. August 12, 2018.
  12. Web site: What's in a name? . University of California . March 27, 2016.
  13. Tracing the Geographic Origins of Major Avocado Cultivars . Journal of Heredity . 100 . 1 . 56–65 . 10.1093/jhered/esn068 . 18779226 . 2008 . Chen . H. . Morrell . P. L. . Ashworth . V. E. T. M. . de la Cruz . M. . Clegg . M. T. . free .
  14. Galindo-Tovar, María Elena . Arzate-Fernández, Amaury M. . Ogata-Aguilar, Nisao . Landero-Torres, Ivonne . amp . 2007 . The avocado (Persea americana, Lauraceae) crop in Mesoamerica: 10,000 years of history . Harvard Papers in Botany . 12 . 2 . 325–334, page 325 . https://web.archive.org/web/20151010145152/http://www.uv.mx/personal/megalindo/files/2010/07/GalindoTovar_325_334_V21.pdf . October 10, 2015 . live . 10.3100/1043-4534(2007)12[325:TAPALC]2.0.CO;2 . 41761865. 9998040 .
  15. Book: Avocado; In: Fruits of Warm Climates . Morton JF . 91–102 . Creative Resource Systems, Inc., Winterville, NC and Center for New Crops & Plant Products, Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN . 1987 . 978-0-9610184-1-2.
  16. Web site: Fater . Luke . The Pirate Who Penned the First English-Language Guacamole Recipe . . Atlas Obscura . 2 February 2021 . 26 July 2019.
  17. Book: Charles, Jeffrey . Belasco . Warren . Scranton . Philip . Food nations: selling taste in consumer societies . https://books.google.com/books?id=p9wPoDHQR-IC . September 20, 2011 . 2002 . Routledge . 978-0-415-93077-2 . 131–154 . 8. Searching for gold in Guacamole: California growers market the avocado, 1910–1994.
  18. Web site: The Selling of the Avocado . Khazan . Olga . September 28, 2016. 2015-01-31 . The Atlantic.
  19. Web site: The best guacamole recipe . Business Insider . 21 August 2018.
  20. Web site: Eats . Serious . The Best Guacamole (and the Science of Avocados) The Food Lab . www.seriouseats.com . 21 August 2018 . en.
  21. Web site: Green Pea Guacamole . The New York Times . October 16, 2016.
  22. Hartel, 2009, p. 43
  23. Web site: National Guacamole Day :: Fresh Avocado . avocadocentral.com . September 28, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170517130417/https://www.avocadocentral.com/avocado-recipes/avocado-party-tips-decor/national-guacamole-day-recipes-entertaining . May 17, 2017 . dead .
  24. Web site: Avocados, raw, all commercial varieties, per 100 grams . NutritionData.com . April 17, 2013 . 2013.
  25. Web site: Avocados: Health Benefits, Nutritional Information . MNT . January 12, 2016.
  26. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr . 2013 . 53 . 7 . 738–50 . 10.1080/10408398.2011.556759 . 23638933 . Hass avocado composition and potential health effects . Dreher ML . Davenport AJ . 3664913.
  27. Book: House & Garden . Condé Nast Publications . v. 128 . 1965 . August 21, 2018 . 122 . Mantequilla de pobre is literally “poor man's butter” ....
  28. News: Caracas Calling . . July 13, 2004 . March 4, 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150610201611/http://www.nypress.com/article-9759-caracas-calling.html . June 10, 2015 . dead .
  29. News: Guasacaca – Venezuelan-style Guacamole . . July 2, 2009 . October 6, 2013 . November 13, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131113180342/http://southamericanfood.about.com/b/2009/07/02/guasacaca-venezuelan-style-guacamole.htm . dead .
  30. Serpa . Diego . 1968 . Avocado Culture in Venezuela . California Avocado Society 1968 Yearbook . 52 . 153–168 . 0096-5960 . March 4, 2010.
  31. Web site: Oxford Spanish-English Dictionary . guasacaca . February 1, 2016. Sound file is at "", to the right of the headword near the top of the window.
  32. News: Chang. Alisa. Why Taquerias Are Making Guacamole Without Avocados. July 19, 2019. All Things Considered. 2024-05-04.
  33. Web site: High-pressure processing ideal for guacamole lovers . The Packer . January 12, 2016.
  34. Web site: National guacamole day!. CBC Kids. August 20, 2018.
  35. News: Celebrating Mexican Independence Day, National Guacamole Day . The Arizona Republic . August 20, 2018.
  36. News: Largest serving of guacamole . Guinness World Records . August 20, 2018.

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