No, it’s not Cinco de Mayo….but you should definitely be consuming copious amounts of creamy, tangy guac today. Of course, it’s none other than National Guacamole Day. (And the crowd goes wild.)
We dunk our chips in it…slather it on hot dogs and hamburgers…sling it on tacos and nachos…and spread it all over toast. The sky (or maybe pie?) is the limit. Let’s take a closer look at what makes guacamole so near and dear to our hearts.
The OG (Original Guacamole)
Avocados go way, way back. It’s thought that the fruit — yep, it’s a fruit, specifically a berry — was eaten as far back as 7000 B.C. and cultivated as early as 500 B.C. in central Mexico. Dear avocado: we just want you to know — you don’t look a day over 40.
And it was in the 1500s that our favorite green dip, guacamole, came on the scene (thanks, Aztecs)…and frankly, changed our lives forever.
So, it's avocados and...
The beauty of guacamole is in its clean, simple ingredients. Most restaurants start out with: avocados (obviously), chopped tomatoes and onions, cilantro and maybe jalapenos for an added kick. Top it off with some sea salt and lime juice…and voilà.
But, if you’ve managed to catch any avocado memes on the internet, you know that waiting for an avocado to ripen is an arduous process…and when it does, you have about .5 seconds to use it. However, it seems like restaurants have miraculously perfected this process…so feel free to leave the guac-ing to them.
It's tasty AND healthy?
Even if guacamole was equivalent to cotton candy in terms of nutritional value, let’s be real…we’d all still eat it. Luckily, that’s not an obstacle we have to overcome. Avocados — guac’s core ingredient — are ridiculously good for you. Full of nutrients, avocados are packed with vitamins C, E, K as well as B-6, potassium, riboflavin, beta-carotene and omega-3 fatty acids (yeah, the good kind of fat). We don’t need to get into the nitty gritty scientific facts behind each one…but let’s just say — thumbs up emoji for these guys. Keep on, keepin’ on guac lovers.
