View source for Guacamole

{{Short description|Mexican avocado-based dish}}
{{Infobox prepared food
| image            = Guacamole IMGP1271.jpg
| caption          = Guacamole
| alternate_name   = Guac
| country          = [[Mexico]]
| region           =
| creator          =
| course           =
| type             = [[Dipping sauce|Dip]]
| served           =
| main_ingredient  = [[Avocado]]s, [[Edible salt|salt]], [[lime (fruit)|lime juice]], [[onion]]s, [[jalapeño]]s
| variations       =  [[Sour cream]], [[basil]]
| calories         =
| other            =
| similar_dish     = [[Avocado sauce]]{{br}}''Mantequilla de pobre''{{br}}Venezuelan [[wasakaka|guasacaca]]
}}

'''Guacamole''' ({{IPA|es|ɡwakaˈmole|lang| GuacamolePronunciation.ogg}}; informally shortened to '''''guac''''' in the United States<ref name="Oxford Dictionary">{{cite web |title=Oxford Dictionary |url=http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/guac|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130901230311/http://oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/guac|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 1, 2013|access-date=August 12, 2018}}</ref> since the 1980s)<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/guac |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180820074726/https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/guac |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 20, 2018 |title=guac {{!}} Definition of guac in English by Oxford Dictionaries|website=Oxford Dictionaries {{!}} English|access-date=August 20, 2018}}</ref> is an [[avocado]]-based [[dip (food)|dip]], spread, or [[salad]] first developed in Mexico.<ref name="zeldes">{{cite web |last=Zeldes |first=Leah A. |title=Eat this! Guacamole, a singing sauce, on its day |website=Dining Chicago |publisher=Chicago's Restaurant & Entertainment Guide, Inc. |date=November 4, 2009 |url=http://blog.diningchicago.com/2009/11/04/eat-this-guacamole-a-singing-sauce-on-its-day/ |access-date=November 5, 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100323081500/http://blog.diningchicago.com/2009/11/04/eat-this-guacamole-a-singing-sauce-on-its-day/|archive-date=23 March 2010}}</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">{{cite book |last1=Beard |first1=James |author-link1=James Beard |last2=Bittman |first2=Mark |title=Beard on Food: The Best Recipes and Kitchen Wisdom from the Dean of American Cooking |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=s9Q7PTP-GdgC&pg=PA86 |access-date=March 14, 2012 |date=September 4, 2007 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing USA |isbn=978-1-59691-446-9 |pages=86–87}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Smith |first=Andrew F. |title=The Oxford companion to American food and drink |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AoWlCmNDA3QC&pg=PT171 |access-date=March 14, 2012 |date=May 1, 2007 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-530796-2 |pages=144–146}}</ref>

== Etymology and pronunciation ==
[[File:Guacomole.jpg|thumb|Guacamole with tortilla chips]]
The name comes from [[Classical Nahuatl]] {{lang|nah|āhuacamōlli}} {{IPA|nah|aːwakaˈmoːlːi|}}, which literally translates to 'avocado sauce', from ''āhuacatl''<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.thoughtco.com/is-the-g-in-guacamole-silent-3079533 |title=How to Pronounce "Guacamole" in Spanish |work=ThoughtCo |access-date=August 20, 2018}}</ref> {{IPA|nah|aːˈwakat͡ɬ|}} 'avocado' + ''mōlli'' {{IPA|nah|ˈmoːlːi|}} 'sauce' or '[[Mole (sauce)|mole]]'.<ref name="zeldes" /> In [[Mexican Spanish]], it is pronounced {{IPA|es|wakaˈmole|}}.<ref>{{cite book|editor=Claudia R. Guerra|title=300 Years of San Antonio and Bexar County|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6ilbDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT55|year=2018|publisher=Trinity University Press|location=San Antonio, TX|isbn=9781595348500|page=55}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author1=Maria de Lourdes Santiago Martínez|author2=Juan López Chávez|title=Etimologías: introducción a la historia del léxico español|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lKuajvrBhzsC&pg=PA241|year=2004|publisher=Pearson Educación|isbn=9789702604938|page=241}}</ref> In American English, it tends to be pronounced {{IPAc-en|ˌ|ɡ|w|ɑː|k|ə|ˈ|m|oʊ|l|iː}}.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/american_english/guacamole | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131003032429/http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/american_english/guacamole | archive-date=2013-10-03 | title=Guacamole: Definition of guacamole in Oxford dictionary (American English) }}</ref> British English also uses this pronunciation, but {{IPAc-en|ˌ|g|w|ɑː|k|ə|ˈ|m|əʊ|l|eɪ}} is more common.<ref>{{cite web |title=Definition of guacamole in English by Oxford Dictionaries |url=http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/guacamole |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120712103302/http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/guacamole |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 12, 2012 |website=Oxford Dictionaries English |access-date=21 August 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://lifebyyou.com/us/detroit/food/guac/rock-your-guac-2018.html|title=Etymology|access-date=August 12, 2018}}</ref>

== 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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ucavo.ucr.edu/General/HistoryName.html |title=What's in a name? |publisher=University of California |access-date=March 27, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |title=Tracing the Geographic Origins of Major Avocado Cultivars |journal=Journal of Heredity |volume=100 |issue=1 |pages=56–65 |doi=10.1093/jhered/esn068 |pmid=18779226 |year=2008 |last1=Chen |first1=H. |last2=Morrell |first2=P. L. |last3=Ashworth |first3=V. E. T. M. |last4=de la Cruz |first4=M. |last5=Clegg |first5=M. T. |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref name="Harvard">{{Cite journal |author1=Galindo-Tovar, María Elena |author2=Arzate-Fernández, Amaury M. |author3=Ogata-Aguilar, Nisao |author4=Landero-Torres, Ivonne |name-list-style=amp |year=2007 |title=The avocado (''Persea americana'', Lauraceae) crop in Mesoamerica: 10,000 years of history |journal=Harvard Papers in Botany |volume=12 |issue=2 |pages=325–334, page 325 |url=http://www.uv.mx/personal/megalindo/files/2010/07/GalindoTovar_325_334_V21.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151010145152/http://www.uv.mx/personal/megalindo/files/2010/07/GalindoTovar_325_334_V21.pdf |archive-date=October 10, 2015 |url-status=live |doi=10.3100/1043-4534(2007)12[325:TAPALC]2.0.CO;2 |jstor=41761865|s2cid=9998040 }}</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">{{Cite book|url=https://hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/avocado_ars.html |title=Avocado; In: Fruits of Warm Climates |author=Morton JF |pages=91–102 |publisher=Creative Resource Systems, Inc., Winterville, NC and Center for New Crops & Plant Products, Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN |year=1987 |isbn=978-0-9610184-1-2}}</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>{{cite web |last1=Fater |first1=Luke |title=The Pirate Who Penned the First English-Language Guacamole Recipe |url=https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/first-food-writer |website=[[Atlas Obscura]] |publisher=Atlas Obscura |access-date=2 February 2021 |date=26 July 2019}}</ref>

Guacamole has increased avocado sales in the U.S., especially on [[Super Bowl Sunday]] and [[Cinco de Mayo]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Charles |first=Jeffrey |editor1-last=Belasco |editor1-first=Warren |editor2-last=Scranton |editor2-first=Philip |title=Food nations: selling taste in consumer societies |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=p9wPoDHQR-IC |access-date=September 20, 2011 |year=2002 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-415-93077-2 |pages=131–154 |chapter=8. Searching for gold in Guacamole: California growers market the avocado, 1910–1994}}</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>{{Cite web |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2015/01/the-selling-of-the-avocado/385047/ |title=The Selling of the Avocado |last=Khazan |first=Olga |access-date=September 28, 2016|date=2015-01-31 |magazine=The Atlantic}}</ref>

== Ingredients and preparation ==
Guacamole is traditionally made by mashing peeled, ripe [[avocado]]s and [[Edible salt|salt]] with a ''[[molcajete|molcajete y tejolote]]'' (mortar and pestle).<ref>{{cite web |title=The best guacamole recipe |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/best-guacamole-recipe-2017-5 |website=Business Insider |access-date=21 August 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Eats |first1=Serious |title=The Best Guacamole (and the Science of Avocados) {{!}} The Food Lab |url=https://www.seriouseats.com/2012/01/the-food-lab-the-best-guacamole-avocados-science-browning-ripening.html |website=www.seriouseats.com |access-date=21 August 2018 |language=en}}</ref> Recipes often call for [[lime juice]], [[cilantro]] (known as coriander outside the US), [[Onion|onions]], and [[jalapeño]]s. Some non-traditional recipes may call for [[sour cream]], [[tomatoes]], [[basil]], or [[peas]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1015047-green-pea-guacamole?smid=tw-nytimes |title=Green Pea Guacamole |website=The New York Times |access-date=October 16, 2016}}</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">{{Cite web |url=https://www.avocadocentral.com/avocado-recipes/avocado-party-tips-decor/national-guacamole-day-recipes-entertaining |title=National Guacamole Day :: Fresh Avocado |website=avocadocentral.com |access-date=September 28, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170517130417/https://www.avocadocentral.com/avocado-recipes/avocado-party-tips-decor/national-guacamole-day-recipes-entertaining |archive-date=May 17, 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

== 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]].<ref name=ND>{{cite web |url=http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/1843/2 |title=Avocados, raw, all commercial varieties, per 100 grams |publisher=NutritionData.com |access-date=April 17, 2013 |year=2013}}</ref><ref name=mnt>{{cite web |title=Avocados: Health Benefits, Nutritional Information |url=http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/270406.php |website=MNT |access-date=January 12, 2016}}</ref> They also contain [[carotenoids]], such as [[beta-carotene]], [[zeaxanthin]] and [[lutein]].<ref>{{cite journal |journal=Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr |year=2013 |volume=53 |issue=7 |pages=738–50 |doi=10.1080/10408398.2011.556759 |pmid=23638933 |title=Hass avocado composition and potential health effects |author1=Dreher ML |author2=Davenport AJ |pmc=3664913}}</ref>

== Similar dishes==

=== ''Mantequilla de pobre'' ===
{{Language with name/for|es|Mantequilla de pobre|poor-man's butter}} is a mixture of avocado, tomato, oil, and citrus juice.<ref name="House & Garden 1965">{{cite book |title=House & Garden |publisher=Condé Nast Publications |issue=v. 128 |year=1965 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XFYaAQAAMAAJ |access-date=August 21, 2018 |page=122 |quote=Mantequilla de pobre is literally “poor man's butter” ...}}</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" />

=== ''Guasacaca'' ===
[[File:Guasacaca avocado sauce-1500x1000.jpg|alt=Guasacaca in a mason jar|thumb|260x260px|Guasacaca in a mason jar]]
{{Main|Wasakaka}}
Thinner and more acidic,<ref>{{cite news |title=Caracas Calling |url=http://www.nypress.com/article-9759-caracas-calling.html |newspaper=[[New York Press]] |date=July 13, 2004 |access-date=March 4, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150610201611/http://www.nypress.com/article-9759-caracas-calling.html |archive-date=June 10, 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref> or thick and chunky,<ref>{{cite news |title=Guasacaca&nbsp;– Venezuelan-style Guacamole |url=http://southamericanfood.about.com/b/2009/07/02/guasacaca-venezuelan-style-guacamole.htm |website=[[About.com]] |date=July 2, 2009 |access-date=October 6, 2013 |archive-date=November 13, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113180342/http://southamericanfood.about.com/b/2009/07/02/guasacaca-venezuelan-style-guacamole.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> ''guasacaca'' is a [[Venezuelan cuisine|Venezuelan]] avocado-based sauce; it is made with vinegar,<ref>{{cite journal |last=Serpa |first=Diego |year=1968 |title=Avocado Culture in Venezuela |journal=California Avocado Society 1968 Yearbook |volume=52 |pages=153–168 |issn=0096-5960 |url=http://www.avocadosource.com/CAS_Yearbooks/CAS_52_1968/CAS_1968_PG_153-168.pdf |access-date=March 4, 2010}}</ref> and is served over ''parrillas'' (grilled food), ''[[arepa]]s'', ''[[empanada]]s'', 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>{{cite web |website=Oxford Spanish-English Dictionary |title=guasacaca |url=http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/translate/spanish-english/guasacaca |access-date=February 1, 2016}}{{dead link|date=September 2022|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} Sound file is at "{{sc|lat.am.sp}}", to the right of the headword near the top of the window.</ref>

=== ''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.<ref>{{cite news|last=Chang|first=Alisa|title=Why Taquerias Are Making Guacamole Without Avocados|date=July 19, 2019|work=All Things Considered|url=https://www.npr.org/2019/07/19/743599313/why-taquerias-are-making-guacamole-without-avocados|access-date=2024-05-04}}</ref>

== Commercial products ==
Prepared guacamoles are available in stores, often available refrigerated, frozen or in [[High pressure food preservation|high pressure packaging]] which [[pasteurization|pasteurizes]] and extends shelf life if products are maintained at {{convert|34|to|40|F|order=flip}}.<ref>{{cite web |title=High-pressure processing ideal for guacamole lovers |url=http://www.thepacker.com/fruit-vegetable-news/marketing-profiles/High-pressure-processing-ideal-for-guacamole-lovers-127760608.html |website=The Packer |access-date=January 12, 2016}}</ref>

== Holiday ==

National Guacamole Day is celebrated on the same day as [[Mexican War of Independence|Mexican Independence Day]], September 16.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.cbc.ca/kidscbc2/the-feed/national-guacamole-day |title=National guacamole day!|website=CBC Kids|access-date=August 20, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.azcentral.com/story/sponsor-story/macayos-restaurants/2016/09/15/macayos-celebrating-mexican-independence-day-guacamole/90416352/ |title=Celebrating Mexican Independence Day, National Guacamole Day |work=The Arizona Republic |access-date=August 20, 2018}}</ref>

== 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&nbsp;kg (10,961 lb) and had 500 people help prepare it.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/largest-serving-of-guacamole/ |title=Largest serving of guacamole |work=Guinness World Records |access-date=August 20, 2018}}</ref>

== See also ==
{{portal|Mexico|Food}}
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
* [[Avocado sauce]]
* [[List of avocado dishes]]
* [[Dipping sauce#List of common dips|List of dips]]
* [[List of condiments]]
* [[Pesto]]
* [[List of Mexican dishes]]
* [[Mole sauce]]
* [[Salsa (sauce)]]
{{div col end}}

== References ==
{{Reflist | 2}}

=== Bibliography ===
* Hartel, Richard W and Hartel, AnnaKate (March 1, 2009), Food Bites: the Science of the Foods We Eat; Springer Science & Business Media, {{ISBN|0387758453}}

== External links ==
* {{commonscat-inline}}

{{Avocados}}
{{Condiments}}
{{Mexican cuisine}}

[[Category:Condiments]]
[[Category:Cuisine of the Southwestern United States]]
[[Category:Dips (food)]]
[[Category:Guatemalan cuisine]]
[[Category:Mexican cuisine]]
[[Category:Mexican garnish]]
[[Category:New Mexican cuisine]]
[[Category:Tex-Mex cuisine]]
[[Category:Vegan cuisine]]
[[Category:Vegetable dishes]]
[[Category:Avocado dishes]]