What is Guacamole?
Guacamole is a very popular dip commonly used in Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisine, but can be found in many fusion dishes. The typical variation is made from mashed ripe avocados mixed with lime juice, salt, garlic and onion. Guacamole varies and may contain jalapeños, cilantro, tomato and other ingredients. The result is a green dip, either chunky or smooth that is served cold and has a wonderful assortment of flavors that is refreshing and satisfying.
Ingredients
The avocado grows on a tree and is extremely popular across many cuisines and cultures. It has an oval shape with a rounder bottom, and a bumpy, dark green and thick skin that is not consumed. The texture is soft and creamy when eaten. The flavor is mild, green and has a delicate flavor. Avocado is made into a dip and added to a vast variety of dishes.
Botanically speaking the tomato is a fruit, but in the culinary world it is used almost strictly as a vegetable. Tomatoes are a nightshade plant that grow on tall, thick sturdy stalks. There are many varieties of tomato, but the most common type is round and red. It has a thin skin that covers its extremely juicy and soft flesh. The center contains seeds wrapped in a gelatinous film. The tomato is sour with a hint of sweetness. It can be sliced into rounds and wedges or diced into small chunks and is eaten raw or cooked.
The onion is a bulb vegetable, meaning its bulb and not its leaves are eaten. Onions come in many varieties, including white, yellow and red. Shallots are small and mild onions. Vidalias are sweet, while red onions are strong and sharp. The onion is usually round and has a thin dry skin around its juicy layers. This skin depends in the color of the onion, as does the flesh. The flesh, or body of the onion is made of multiple round layers, that get smaller towards the center. The flavor of onions are sharp and sweet when raw, with an astringent taste. When cooked, these flavors mellow and the sweetness emerges. Onion are a very common flavoring and ingredient for many savory dishes.
The serrano chili pepper is green when unripe and red when mature. Botanically speaking the serrano and all peppers are a fruit, but in the culinary world it is a vegetable. This hot pepper is about two inches long, thin and has a slightly tapered end. The thin, shiny skin protects the thin and firm flesh of the pepper. The inside is hollow and contains spicy hot seeds. The flesh is hotter than a jalapeño and on the heat scale it comes in at 10,000 - 23,000 heat units. The serrano is used to flavor dishes and is common in salsa.
Cilantro is a leafy herb with a thin green stalk and small, partially fringed green leaves that look similar to a three leaf clover. It has a distinct smell that is similar to a lime and a flavor to match that. In addition, it smells and tastes the same and has a strong flavor with a hint of greens. Due to a genetic trait, some people find that cilantro tastes like soap. This herb is used in many cuisines, particularly from Asia and Central and South America.
Salt is a mineral composed mostly of sodium chloride. It is the main flavoring used in food and is naturally occurring in certain foods, such as cheese, beets, meat and celery, plus many others. Salt is white and has finer granules than sugar. Many commercial salts include iodide, while others exclude it. Most salts are white, while some are naturally pale pink with minerals. Salt brings out the flavor of something and can create a tangy mouthfeel, if used in excess.
