Distinguish from Whac-A-Mole (videogame, and House episode).

Guacamole is an avocado-based dip which originated in Mexico.^[1] It is traditionally made by mashing ripe avocados with a molcajete (mortar and pestle) and adding tomatoes and seasonings.

Contents 1 History 2 Ingredients 3 Commercial guacamole 4 Miscellany 5 References 6 External links

[edit] History

Guacamole was made by the Aztecs as early as the 1500s.^[1] After the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors, guacamole became popular in Spain.

The name comes from an Aztec dialect via Nahuatl āhuacamolli, from āhuacatl (="avocado") + molli (="sauce").^[1] In Spanish, it is pronounced [ɣʷakaˈmole], in American English /ˌɡwɑːkəˈmoʊliː/, and in British English sometimes /ˌɡwækəˈmoʊliː/.

Two U.S. "National Guacamole Days" celebrate the dish, Sept. 16 and Nov. 14, and comic musicians Rhett and Link recorded "The Guacamole Song."^[1]

[edit] Ingredients

Ripe avocados, tomatoes, onions, lime or lemon juice, and salt are common to most recipes. Lime juice adds flavor and slows enzyme-caused browning. Other common ingredients include cilantro (coriander leaf), black pepper, cumin, jalapeños, and garlic.

[edit] Commercial guacamole

Prepared and fresh guacamoles are available in stores, often available refrigerated. The non-fresh guacamole that is most like fresh is preserved by freezing or sometimes high pressure packaging.^[2] Other non-fresh preparations need higher levels of fillers and artificial preservatives to be shelf stable.

Kraft Foods received consumer complaints and a lawsuit filed against it regarding its commercial guacamole.^[3] The main issue was that Kraft's guacamole contained less than 2% avocado and was filled with hydrogenated oils and artificial colors to try to approximate the consistency and color of avocados, whereas typical recipes might have a minimum of 25% avocado.

[edit] Miscellany

• Single molecule fluorescence spectroscopy researcher W. E. Moerner coined the term "guacamole" to refer to 1/ Avogadro's Number as the molar unit for a single molecule.^[4]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Guacamole recipes