Guacamole
Yield, 2 cups
Ingredients
- 3 ripe avocados
- 1 lime
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- ½ tsp salt
Preparations
To cut the avocados, run a knife around the avocado (from top to bottom) and twist in half. Pull out and discard the pit. Using a spoon or your thumb, remove the flesh and place into a medium sized bowl. Cut the lime in half and squeeze both halves into the bowl with the avocado, being careful not to get any seeds. Add the garlic and salt. Using a fork gently mash each avocado half a few times then stir all ingredients together.
NOTE:
Guacamole is best made and eaten right away. If you must store it make sure that you cover it with plastic wrap directly against the guacamole. Press the plastic wrap into it with your fingers to prevent any air getting to it and causing it to go brown.
Courtesy of theendlessmeal.com
Why Avocados?
High in vitamin C
Vitamin C is necessary for bone structure, iron absorption, skin integrity, and immune function. Our bodies don’t make vitamin C, so we need to get it from external sources, such as food.
High in vitamin K
Vitamin K controls blood clotting, thus preventing blood loss during injury. It also helps in assisting the absorption of calcium content from food, which helps in the formation and maintenance of healthy bones.
High in omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids
These polyunsaturated fats are the “good” fats that are important to have in your diet. Polyunsaturated fats help to reduce blood pressure, raise HDL cholesterol, and lower triglycerides, all of which may help prevent and even treat heart disease and stroke.
High in potassium
Potassium helps maintain a steady heartbeat and send nerve impulses, and is necessary for muscle contractions. It also balances fluids in the body.
High in fiber
Fiber, like protein, increases satiety and reduces appetite, making one feel fuller for longer and thereby lowering your overall calorie intake. It also promotes regularity for a healthy digestive tract.
Cultural Context
Guacamole dates back to the early 14th-16th centuries, when the Aztecs (of modern Mexico) were believed to have first whipped up this creamy avocado sauce. When the Spanish first encountered the Aztecs around the 1500s, they found the indigenous people using a basalt mortar and pestle to mash up ripe avocados with a variety of tomatoes, onions, hot peppers, and cilantro.
The first European written account of guacamole was in 1518, when the sauce was widely used by the aristocrats and upper class to enhance the appeal of the main course. The British dubbed the mixture “midshipman’s butter,” after tasting the flimsy concoction the Spanish sailors tried to recreate from their Mexican travels.
After the Hass family planted their first avocado tree in 1920 and began exporting their fruit, the quality of the sauce greatly improved all over the world and people continued experimenting with ways to season their sauce.
Retrieved from:
avocadosfrommexico.com