Guacamole

You know my inner food geek comes out now and then. I get curious about the foods I eat and like to find out how they came to be. So when I made guacamole recently, I wanted to learn more about it. Guacamole dates back to the time of the Aztecs.

The Aztec Indians were simple people who relied on what they could grow and hunt for food. In this ancient civilization, food, drinks, and dining were a part of the culture. Their diet was heavily plant-based because the Aztec Civilization flourished in Mexico due to a combination of climatic advantages and extensive farming expertise. This gave them one of the most varied cuisines in the ancient world.

It was easier for them to grow crops and live off the land than hunt and rely on animals. The meat was a luxury for the Aztecs, and ordinary people ate it infrequently. Their food included rabbits, turkeys and, armadillos. Can you believe they even ate dogs?!?!

Don’t curse their name for eating dogs... they can also be accredited for the discovery of chocolate…

Aztec food was a rich combination of many foods that are still much a part of the Mexican diet today, and it has spread worldwide.

Guacamole dates back all the way to the Aztecs in the 14th and 16th centuries. The Aztec’s low-fat diet relied heavily on the buttery fruit known as an avocado. They used a basalt mortar and pestle to mash up ripe avocados with tomatoes, onions, hot peppers and, cilantro.

I recently revisited this guacamole recipe. I adapted it from Alton Brown‘s recipe. And did some tweaking to adjust it to our taste. This guacamole was some of the best I have ever made.

Whether you serve it smooth or chunky, this guacamole gets flavor from ground cumin and a little bit of heat from cayenne pepper. It’s flavorful, clean, and healthy.

Get those chips ready for dipping and let’s make guacamole!

Ingredients Needed

A detailed listing in the recipe card at the end of this post.

• Avocados: ripe avocados should be firm but give slightly when squeezed.
• Lime Juice: not only does lime juice provide flavor, but it also keeps the avocados from oxidizing. ALWAYS use fresh lime juice. It has the best flavor.
• Seasonings: Sea Salt, Cumin, Cayenne
• Veggies: diced red onion, chopped tomatoes
• Cilantro: provides a fresh, bright pop of flavor
• Garlic: Just a little goes a long way. Use a Microplane to ensure it minces up well.

How To Make Guacamole

Chop and Dice:

1. Peel and dice the onion finely; remember, you don’t want to chomp on large chunks of onion; set aside.
2. Seed and dice the Roma tomatoes or quarter the cherry tomatoes; set aside.

Prepare the Avocados:

1. Place the cubes of avocado into a large bowl. Add the lime juice; toss to coat.
2. Make sure the avocado is coated well; this will keep it from oxidizing and turning brown.
3. Add salt, cumin, and cayenne to the avocado; stir well to incorporate; the more you stir, the more the avocado tends to break down. You can also mash some of the cubes with the back of the spoon to break them down to the texture you want.

Combine:

1. Add the onions, tomatoes, cilantro, and grate in the garlic into the bowl with the seasoned avocado. Gently fold in; combine well. Taste and season with salt again as necessary.
2. Cover with plastic wrap and let the guacamole sit at room temperature for 1 hour.

Serve The Guacamole:

Serve with tortilla chips, vegetable sticks, crackers, or as an ingredient. There are endless possibilities!

Tips for Making Guacamole

• If you are not familiar with how to work with avocados, click the link for how to cut, peel, and slice avocados.
• We like our guacamole extra chunky, but if you like it smooth, break out the potato masher to get the job done faster. After the avocados are the desired consistency, give it a taste to see if you need to add more salt; adjust as needed.

We ate on this batch of guacamole for 3 days, and it never oxidized and turned brown. On the contrary, every day, it was just as good as the first, if not better.

I’m putting this guac back into our Mexican rotation again. Yum!

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