The popularity of avocado is increasing year after year.

Due to a combination of carbs and healthy fats, sodium, potassium, fibers and vitamins (1), it is an established symbol of healthy eating.

I still remember the first time I ever tried it, during my high school graduation holiday in Paris: it was simply cut in half, with a sprinkle of oil and salt on top, to be eaten with a spoon. As simple as that, but so creamy, rich and yummy. I was over the moon.

Shortly after, I ventured to taste one of the most popular ways to enjoy avocado: the glorious green buttery sauce known as guacamole.

You can most definitely find ready-made guacamole in every supermarket, but it is so easy to make it yourself and it definitely tastes better. Plus, you can give it your own kick and make it unique!

And how incredible is it that this trendy and healthy sauce actually dates back to the Aztec?

Let’s begin our journey then, which today brings us to Mexico.

More specifically, we are in South Central Mexico, where avocados originate. The word “avocado” comes from the nahuatl aztec word āhuacatl, and the āhuacamolli (“avocado sauce”) was invented by the Aztec prior to the 16th century!

Originally made purely of mashed avocado (2), it gradually incorporated salt and tomatoes to the mix. It is curious to note that lime, which is one of the main ingredients typically added into the modern-day guacamole, does not originate in South America, but it comes from Asia (more specifically, Malaysia and India) - and was imported by the Spanish and the Portuguese around the 16th century.

It is said that the Spanish conquistadores tried to recreate guacamole back to their homeland, with substitutes - since avocado did not grow there - but the experiment failed.

Even in North America it did not become popular until the 20th century (1,4), the main reasons being:

the lifting of Mexican avocados import ban, which lasted till 1997 (3)
the dramatic increase of Latin American population in the US in the last half century

However, we do have early testimonials of Europeans impressed by guacamole: its first English-language recipe dates back to 1697, captured in the book A New Voyage Round the World by English privateer and naturalist William Dampier:

“[a fruit] as big as a large lemon… [with] skin [like] black bark, and pretty smooth.” Lacking distinct flavor, he wrote, the ripened fruit was “mixed with sugar and lime juice and beaten together [on] a plate.” (5)

As an Italian, I am very aware of how sensitive it is to discuss “the original recipe” of a staple in local cuisines. The majority of “original guacamole” recipes I found include the following ingredients: