Guacamole
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Guacamole ({{#invoke:IPA|main}}; informally shortened to guac in the United States<ref name="Oxford Dictionary">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> since the 1980s)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> is an avocado-based dip, spread, or salad first developed in Mexico.<ref name="zeldes">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In addition to its use in modern Mexican cuisine, it has become part of international cuisine as a dip, condiment, and salad ingredient.<ref name="beard">Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Etymology and pronunciationEdit
The name comes from Classical Nahuatl {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, which literally translates to 'avocado sauce', from āhuacatl<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> {{#invoke:IPA|main}} 'avocado' + mōlli {{#invoke:IPA|main}} 'sauce' or 'mole'.<ref name="zeldes" /> In Mexican Spanish, it is pronounced {{#invoke:IPA|main}}.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> In American English, it tends to be pronounced Template:IPAc-en.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> British English also uses this pronunciation, but Template:IPAc-en is more common.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
HistoryEdit
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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name="Harvard">Template:Cite journal</ref> They were likely cultivated in the Supe Valley in Peru as early as 3100 BCE.<ref name="Harvard"/> In the early 1900s, avocados frequently went by the name alligator pear.<ref name="morton">Template:Cite book</ref> 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Guacamole has increased avocado sales in the U.S., especially on Super Bowl Sunday and Cinco de Mayo.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Ingredients and preparationEdit
Guacamole is traditionally made by mashing peeled, ripe avocados and salt with a molcajete y tejolote (mortar and pestle).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Recipes often call for lime juice, cilantro, onions, and jalapeños. Some non-traditional recipes may call for sour cream, tomatoes, basil, or peas.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
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.<ref name=hartel1>Hartel, 2009, p. 43</ref> 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.<ref name="avocadocentral.com">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Composition and nutrientsEdit
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.<ref name=ND>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=mnt>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> They also contain carotenoids, such as beta-carotene, zeaxanthin and lutein.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
Similar dishesEdit
Mantequilla de pobreEdit
Template:Language with name/for is a mixture of avocado, tomato, oil, and citrus juice.<ref name="House & Garden 1965">Template:Cite book</ref> Despite its name, it predates the arrival of dairy cattle in the Americas, and thus was not originally made as a butter substitute.<ref name="beard" />
GuasacacaEdit
{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} Thinner and more acidic,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> or thick and chunky,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> guasacaca is a Venezuelan avocado-based sauce; it is made with vinegar,<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}Template:Dead linkTemplate:Cbignore Sound file is at "Template:Sc", to the right of the headword near the top of the window.</ref>
Guacamole falsoEdit
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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Commercial productsEdit
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 Template:Convert.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
HolidayEdit
National Guacamole Day is celebrated on the same day as Mexican Independence Day, September 16.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In popular cultureEdit
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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
See alsoEdit
Template:Portal Template:Div col
- Avocado sauce
- List of avocado dishes
- List of dips
- List of condiments
- Pesto
- List of Mexican dishes
- Mole sauce
- Salsa (sauce)
ReferencesEdit
BibliographyEdit
- Hartel, Richard W and Hartel, AnnaKate (March 1, 2009), Food Bites: the Science of the Foods We Eat; Springer Science & Business Media, Template:ISBN
External linksEdit
Template:Avocados Template:Condiments Template:Mexican cuisine