Happy National Guacamole Day!!!!

Today is Mexican Independence Day. It is also a day is the day to celebrate one of America’s, if not the most popular, dip, GUACAMOLE! It is an easy dish of avocados, lime juice, tomatoes, onions, and seasonings. It can be basic or complex with flavors added to satisfy any palate. Avocados have become super popular for decades especially recently as it was declared a super food, packed with good fats and high in nutrients. What is the history of the avocado and guacamole? What variations are available for this popular dish? Why do people love avocados and guacamole so much? A simple internet search will produce countless guacamole recipe, I will provide one that is simple, easy and can be modified to various tastes.

Avocados originated with the Aztecs in Mexico and known as a “fertility fruit” (Amidor, 2009). It was first cultivated between 7,000 and 5,000 BC. The word, “guacamole” is from the Classical Nahuatl word meaning “avocado sauce.” Avocados, in general, as well as guacamole have become increasingly popular in the United States since the 1990s. Today, California is the leading producer of domestic avocados with 90% of the US crop coming from the Golden State (Amidor, 2009). There are multiple variations of a guacamole. First, Mantequilla de pobre is literally “poor man’s butter,” which is a mixture of avocado, tomato, oil and a citrus juice. Despite its name, it predates the arrival od dairy cattle in the Americas and was not originally used as a butter substitute. Second, Guasacaca is a Venezuelan avocado sauce made with vinegar. It is usually served with parrillas (grilled foods), arepas or empanadas.

Why is guacamole so popular? It is a dip that people will devour in minutes and fight each other for each bite. It can be eaten alone with chips or on a burger, sandwich, or anything you can think of. The possibilities are endless. First, it fits into any diet. It is kosher, Halal, gluten free, grain free, vegan and dairy free (Spigelman Richter, 2015). Second, it is healthy for you. As mentioned before, avocados are a superfood. It is packed with folate, potassium, and vitamin B (Spigelman Richter, 2015). It is also low in sugar, high in monounsaturated fat with no sodium or cholesterol. It is high in lutein, an antioxidant, which is good for healthy eyes, and beta-sitosterol, which has been shown to help lower cholesterol (Amidor, 2009) as well as the added benefit from the tomatoes, garlic and lime juice. However, avocados are high in calories. It is the one flaw in this otherwise amazing fruit. 

On April 6, 2018, Junta Local de Sandid Vegetal de Tancitaro achieved the Guinness World Record for the largest serving of guacamole (Guinness World Record, 2018). As part of Tancitaro’s 7^th Annual Avocado Festival in Tancitaro Michoacan, Mexico, guacamole was prepared, weigning in at 3,788 kg (8,351 lbs) and took more than 350 people to prepared. The recipe for guacamole is simple dish that be doubled, tripled or even quadrupled, depending on the party size. Traditionally, a mortar and pestle would be used to mash the avocados but a fork works just fine.

 A simple guacamole recipe:

Ingredients:

2 ripe avocados

2 tbsp onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 ripe tomato, chopped

The juice of 1 lime, add to taste

Salt and pepper to taste.

Peel and mash avocados in a medium serving bowl. Stir in onions, garlic, tomato, lime juice, salt, and pepper. Chill for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to meld. The ingredients can be increased or decreased depending on preferences. It can be made spicy by adding chopped and seeded jalapenos.

Guacamole is a great dip with chips or can be added to a variety of foods and dishes. Originally cultivated in Mexico by the Aztecs, avocados and guacamole has become a popular addition to cuisine of many cultures in the Americas. It is a simple dish to make and extremely popular at parties, gatherings or just to have on regular night. It is a great food with a variety of nutrients and fits into many diets. Happy National Guacamole Day! A salute to everyone’s favorite dip!

 

 

References

 

Amidor, Toby (January 2009). Why We Love Avocados. Food Network. www.foodnetwork.com/healthyeats/recipes/2009/01/why-we-love-avocados. Retrieved September 12, 2020.

 

Guinness World Record (April 6, 2018). Largest Serving of Guacamole. www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/largest-serving-of-guacamole/. Retrieved September 12, 2020.

 

Spigelman Richter, Sarah (August 22, 2015). 6 reasons guacamole is the unofficial dip of the people. Mashable. www.mashable.com/2015/08/22/guacamole-love/. Retrieved September 12, 2020.

National Rocky Road Day!

According to the National Day Calendar website, June 2 is National Rocky Road Day! A day dedicated to the sweet we know as Rocky Road. While many people hear Rocky Road, they think of ice cream, it’s most popular form; however, Rocky Road is a candy, candy bar, fudge, brownies, and cookies. What is the history of Rocky Road? What are the variations of this delicious dessert? What are the differences in Rocky Road from around the world?

Rocky Road started out as a candy in Australia around 1853. It would eventually travel across the world. By the 1900s, it was a common sight in most confectioner’s shops. According to Dreyer’s legend, in Oakland, California, William Dreyer was inspired by his partner, Joseph Edy’s Rocky Road candy. He used his wife’s sewing scissors and cutting up marshmallows and walnuts, mixing them in chocolate ice cream (today’s Dreyer’s Rocky Road has roasted almonds). After the Wall Street Crash of 1929, Dreyer and Edy gave the flavor its name, rocky road, “to give folks something to smile about in the midst of the Great Depression.” However, there is a challenge to the Dreyer legend, George Farren of Fenton’s Creamery, also, in Oakland, California, created the ice cream flavor when he blended the Rocky Road candy into ice cream and that Dreyer based his recipe on theirs’s.

When you go to any confectioner’s shop, you will find Rocky Road candy and fudge. Some may even have cookies and brownies. These variations all have the same basic ingredients: chocolate, marshmallow and a nut. Some use walnuts, almonds and cashews are used. Annabelle’s, California based candy company, makes the Rocky Road candy car. This candy bar which is one of my husband’s favorites. We find them in our area mostly at 99 Cent Stores, but I have seen them at specialty candy stores and nostalgia stores. Annabelle’s original Rocky Road candy bar is a marshmallow center coated with milk chocolate and sprinkled with roasted cashews. They have two variations: the Mint Rocky Road which is a minty marshmallow center coated with dark chocolate and sprinkled with roasted cashews and the S’mores Rocky Road, with a marshmallow with a graham cracker center, coated with milk chocolate and sprinkled roasted cashews.   

As mentioned before, Rocky Road ice cream is the most popular variation. The original Rocky Road candy is a quick and easy no bake treat which can have varying ingredients in different parts of the world. In Australia, Rocky Road is made with glace cherries (aka candied cherries), milk chocolate (although dark or white chocolate is also used), desiccated (dried) coconut, and marshmallow. In Bahrain, Rocky Road is made with milk chocolate, Nutella, and pistachios. In the United Kingdom, Rocky Road is dried fruit, biscuit (aka cookie), milk chocolate (again dark or white chocolate is also used) with a drizzling of icing sugar. In the United States, it is chocolate, marshmallows and peanuts.

In conclusion, Rocky Road started out as a candy which evolved in the ice cream that we know and love. Rocky Road has also manifested into fudge, cookies, brownies, and candy bars. Whether you believe Dreyer’s invention story or Fenton’s, Rocky Road has been a wonderful and delicious addition to our sweet tooth cravings. So on this National Rocky Road Day, enjoy your favorite variation of this great treat!