Guacamole Origin and History | Avocados From Mexico (2024)

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Guacamole Origin and History | Avocados From Mexico? ›

Guacamole's base ingredient, the avocado, was an important source of sustenance for the Aztecs between the 14th and 16th centuries. In one of their dishes, the Aztecs mashed avocado with a mortar and pestle. They then added chopped tomatoes, green chiles, and salt before enjoying this meal with warm tortillas.

The history of this tasty treat dates back to the Aztec Empire in Central America during the 1500s. Avocados were a favorite fruit in the area, and the Aztecs loved their “ahuaca-mulli” or avocado-mixture. The Spaniards also loved this treat, but could not pronounce the name correctly.

The OG Avocados Were From Mexico

Researchers believe Puebla, located in South Central Mexico, to be the motherland of the avocado, where this strange and delicious fruit first flourished and locals began consuming them nearly 10,000 years ago.

Chocolate, guacamole, and tortillas all originated in this part of the world, long before the Spanish colonizers arrived in the 15th century. But today, for visitors and even many urban Guatemalans, the country's culinary heritage can be easy to miss.

Avocados are native to Central America and Mexico, where they were cultivated by early humans as far back as 500 B.C.

The Aztecs first made guacamole prior to the 16th century. Early guacamole was made purely of avocado. The modern name derives from the Nahuati word, āhuacamolli.

The tree likely originated in the highlands bridging south-central Mexico and Guatemala. Avocado trees have a native growth range from Mexico to Costa Rica. Its fruit, sometimes also referred to as an alligator pear or avocado pear, is botanically a large berry containing a single large seed.

Guacamole is a Spanish word that's based on the Aztec language Nahuatl's ahuaca-molli, a combination of ahuacatl, "avocado," and molli, "sauce." In the United States, guacamole has surged in popularity over the last several decades, with avocados especially in demand right before Super Bowl Sunday and Cinco de Mayo.

It is impossible to tell who the very first person to eat an avocado may have been. As they are known to have been a part of the Mesoamerican culture for at least 10,000 years prior, there is no written record of the first person's discovery and eating of avocado.

Upon discovering the beautiful fruit, the Aztecs named it āhuacatl, which directly translates to..."testicl*." Call it a lucky guess or just common sense, but the texture, shape, and size likely gave the avocado its iconic name — not to mention the way they hang in pairs from the tree.

Who discovered guacamole? ›

Yet, most people have no idea exactly how and when guacamole came to be. Avocados found their origin in Southern Mexico, where they naturally grow. Because of this, guacamole was inherently created by the Aztecs who inhabited that region of Mexico. Avocados contain a lot of health benefits, natural fats, and nutrients.

Guacamole (Spanish: [ɡwakaˈmole]; informally shortened to guac in the United States since the 1980s) is an avocado-based dip, spread, or salad first developed in Mexico. In addition to its use in modern Mexican cuisine, it has become part of international cuisine as a dip, condiment and salad ingredient.

Avocados and Guacamole

Sure, the avocado has become a trendy food in the modern world in the past few years, but the savory fruit has been around for centuries in Mexico. The ancient Maya treasured the avocado because of its delicious flavor and smooth texture.

COMMON NICKNAMES FOR THE AVOCADO

Alligator pear: if you had never seen an avocado before, you might have come up with this name yourself!

Avocados From Mexico actually has two parent companies. It's a joint venture between MHAIA and The Association of Avocado Exporting Producers and Packers of Mexico (APEAM). Funny enough, all three organizations are nonprofits despite being such big businesses.

First, ahuacate was too hard for Americans to pronounce. Worse, it was the Aztec word for testicl*, named for its shape and reputation as an aphrodisiac. Then there was the other unappealing name: "alligator pear." The farmers came up with a new name: avocado.

It comes from the Nahuatl word ahuacamolli which means an "avocado based sauce". If Nahuas ever used the word as a slang word to refer to sem*n or other naughty "testicl* juices" we will never know, but there is no evidence to suggest that they did.

We can thank the Aztecs, the native American people who dominated central Mexico from the 14th to 16th centuries. Although dog, grasshopper, and worms were food staples in Aztec culture, they also indulged in things more culturally palatable to us, namely chocolate and guacamole.

Mashed avocado is the principal ingredient of guacamole, a characteristic saucelike condiment in Mexican cuisine. Avocados provide thiamin, riboflavin, and vitamin A, and in some varieties the flesh contains as much as 25 percent unsaturated oil.

By 500 BCE, the avocado was known as ahuacatl to the Aztecs, which was actually just the Nahuatl word for “testicl*” — apparently a cheeky nod to the fact that they grow in pairs and were thought to be an aphrodisiac, or a source of strength and/or fertility to whoever consumed it.