How to Make the Most Flavorful Guacamole

By Lauran Bell

Making guacamole is easy but making it “just right” is not. Through trial and error, I’ve saved you the trouble of finding what I believe are the most flavorful ingredients to make your homemade guacamole a hit. I also tried a number of chopping and smashing devices, both the food processor and the traditional molcajete (Spanish word for mortar and pestle). I made various batches, all with different ingredients, such as roasted pine nuts, roasted peppers, fresh garlic, garlic powder, chilis with various heat levels, and even gochujang sauce (Korean chili paste). The one ingredient that stands out – Worcestershire sauce – is actually my mom’s secret ingredient.

The funny thing is that she doesn’t even remember it as being something she uses in guac. She absolutely remembers, however, that it’s her secret ingredient in pea soup. I distinctly remember her reaching for it when we were making guac together during my graduation celebration. Is this a traditional ingredient in guacamole? To quote my feisty middle schooler, “hell no!” Obviously, this is not a traditional Mexican recipe, but it’s super tasty.

Who made the first guacamole?

In fact, what we call guacamole was originally made by the Aztecs around the 16th century. The Aztecs, who spoke Nahuatl, called avocados “ahuacatl” and used the word “molli” for sauce or “ahuacamolli,” avocado sauce. When the Spanish came, they pronounced the Nahuatl word “ahuacatl” as “aguacate.” In the article, “A Brief History of Guacamole […],” the author writes that when the English tried to pronounce the Spanish version of “aguacate,” they dropped the “a” sound and left the “hard g,” leaving us with the word guacamole. What’s the modern day shortest version of guacamole? Just look at any food blog, including mine, and you’ll see just four letters: “guac.”

It is believed that the Aztecs made guacamole with either just mashed avocados or avocados, tomatoes, chilis, and salt. They used all of these ingredients prior to what’s known as the Colombian Exchange. The Spanish also adapted the original Aztec style guacamole by adding onions, garlic, lime juice and cilantro (Open AI). According to “A Brief History of Guacamole […],” the first actual record of what appears to be a guacamole recipe in English was in a British pirate’s, William Dampier’s, travel journal from 1697. Who would have thought that there would be so much history in something as simple as an avocado or a bowl of guacamole? Read the article, “A Brief History of Guacamole […]” for a more in-depth look. http://thecollector.com/history-guacamole/

Why add Worcestershire sauce to guac?

Adding Worcestershire sauce, though completely non-traditional, will give your guac depth of flavor with its umami quality. Because my mom often uses Worcestershire sauce to add levels of flavor in her cooking, I foolishly thought the sauce was popular or maybe even created when I was growing up in the ’80s. I was so wrong. The history of Worcestershire sauce is also a lot more interesting!

The Origins of Worcestershire Sauce

To get a handle on the origin of Worcestershire sauce, we have to go back to the 1800’s. The story goes that Lord Marcus Sandys traveled to India and brought back a recipe based on a sauce he tasted there. Once back in England, he asked two chemists, John Wheeley Lea and William Henry Perrins, to recreate the flavors he experienced, using the recipe as a guide. They made the sauce, and it was so terrible that they left it to rot in the cellar. This is where the magic happened. The ingredients in the bottle – molasses, salt, sugar, tamarind extract, anchovies, onions, garlic, chili peppers, as well as other spices- melded together and fermented into what would become the Worcestershire sauce we know today (Open AI). The Worcestershire sauce with the chemists’ names, Lea and Perrins, which became the name of the company they founded, is readily available today .

It’s interesting how a sauce created in the 1800’s in England can be added to an avocado dip originally made by the Aztecs in Mexico. Our food represents people’s stories and all the iterations of what can happen when they (the people and their ingredients) are brought together, for better or worse. In the case of this guacamole recipe, it’s definitely for the better.

Guacamole List of Ingredients:

• Avocados (must be ripe)
• Worcestershire sauce
• Red Onion
• Garlic
• Garlic Salt (My husband prefers it with just salt, not garlic salt. I prefer the garlic salt and a little kosher salt.)
• Jalapeño
• Chili, optional (like serrano, Thai, or habanero, depending on preferred heat)
• Lemon – I like lemon better than lime in guac because that’s how my mom makes it (also, not “traditional”). Our lemon tree is going through its June drop cycle, so we have plenty of lemons. If you need to use up your lemons, you might like How to Manage June Drop, and Your Kids, One Lemon Recipe at a Time
• Tomatoes
• Cilantro
• Salt (kosher) and Pepper to taste

Why use a molcajete when making guacamole?

Spoiler: I used both a molcajete and food processor. You can make guac without either tool, but I find using both tools helps with cooking efficiency and flavor.

Using a molcajete extracts more flavor and creates a texture that’s more “authentic.” It was originally used by the Aztecs (and other indigenous people) and was called “molcaxitl” in Nahuatl, which later became molcajete in Spanish. It’s a mortar and pestle that was made out of volcanic rock. The rough, porous texture of the rock made it ideal for grinding and extracting every bit of flavor. Until I decided to write this post, we had a molcajete, given to us by a good friend as a house warming gift, which sat on our counter, pretty much unused. Every time I’ve made guac in the past, I’ve just used a bowl and a potato masher. You can absolutely do this. When experimenting, however, I found that if you are able to use a molcajete, the guacamole tastes better. (You can find them easily on Amazon.)

Using a molcajete definitely brings it to another level. Also, it’s fun (and impressive) to serve the guac in the molcajete. I first use a food processor to chop the garlic, jalapeño, extra chili, and cilantro in the food processor. This is going to save time and also create more flavor because the pieces will be smaller and more uniform. I take the chili mixture out of the food processor and then smash it in a molcajete. This extracts all of the flavor, releases oils, and turns it into somewhat of a paste. That’s when you add your avocados to the molcajete and mash them, but not too much, along with the other ingredients. Using the food processor in combination with the molcajete is utilizing the best of both the ancient and modern worlds.

Tasty Guacamole with Fresh Jalapeño, Garlic, and Red Onion

Most of us have had good guacamole before, but if you want to really bring the flavor, you’re going to want to use a few new ingredients and methods. If you’re making homemade guacamole anyway, it’s worth a few short extra steps that will pay off. Using Worcestershire sauce, a food processor, and a molcajete (or any one of the “trifecta”) will enhance the flavor and texture. To really bring the flavor home, use avocados, tomatoes, jalapeños, lemons, or a variety of chilis from your garden or farmers market.

Our summer garden is just about to burst with ripe tomatoes and peppers, and I cannot think of a tastier way to enjoy all of my husband’s homegrown produce. Unfortunately, our avocado tree is a couple years away from producing fruit. After learning the history of the avocado, a few years doesn’t seem that long to wait. The Aztecs believed the avocado tree was sacred and used the fruit as currency. I hope that once you try this guacamole recipe that you will also treasure it.

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