"guacamole" news and stories

Happy National Guacamole Day!

There are guacamole purists and there are guacamole adventurists -- some like to stick with just a few traditional ingredients to highlight the avocado flavor, while others let their imaginations and appetites run wild, throwing in everything from bacon to tequila.

According to famed Mexican cuisine acifionado and chef Rick Bayless, guacamole should be "a verdant, thick-textured bowl of festivity, ripe with the elusive flavor of avocado. Mash in a little lime, raw onion, coriander, chili, perhaps tomato, and the avocado comes fully alive." And while we hate to be traveling further away from the dip's origins in recommending a recipe all the way from The Guardian in the U.K., we can't argue with their article "How to Make the Perfect Guacamole" -- they've done their research, and we'd venture to wage their guacamole recipe is as good as any you'd find stateside.

Become a member of the Slashfood Flickr pool to get a shot at having your photos featured on the site.

Happy National Guacamole Day!

Stemming back from its origins during Aztec times, guacamole is a highly regional, preferential dish. Don't like spice? Omit the jalapeno. Love cilantro? Toss it in by the handful. Care for some crunch? Raw red, white or green onion should cover that. At its basic core, the dip mandates only mashed avocado, lemon or lime juice and spices (typically cayenne and chili), but the Mexican specialty is as versatile in its uses as its possible flavorings, working equally well as a topping, side dish or sauce as it does as a dip.

We like our guacamole piled high with additions -- minced garlic, green onions, cilantro, lime juice, salsa and spices, at the very least -- but we've been known to get a little adventurous too (bacon guacamole, anyone?). But whether you're a guacamole purist or fetishist, a word to the wise: Be sure to add ample citrus juice -- and a well-sealed lid -- to prevent discoloration. But when made correctly in our kitchens, it seems the dip rarely lasts long enough to brown anyway.

Become a member of the Slashfood Flickr pool to get a shot at having your photos featured in Feast Your Eyes.

It's peak avocado season, but even the most die-hard guac lover can get a little weary of the usual recipe. Here, are three ways to kick it up a notch.

Next time the waitress offers you chips and dip at your local Mexican joint, it may be wise to take a pass -- and not just for your waistline.

The Centers for Disease Control released a report that found that contaminated salsa or guacamole were responsible for nearly 1 in every 25 outbreaks of food-borne illness in restaurants from 1998 to 2008, MSNBC.com reported.

The rate nearly doubled over the previous decades, officials said.

"Fresh salsa and guacamole, especially those served in retail food establishments, may be important vehicles of food-borne infection," Magdalena Kendall, a researcher at Tennessee's Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education told MSNBC.com.

Individual ingredients in the tasty dips have also been linked to salmonella outbreaks including peppers, tomatoes and cilantro.

Grayish-brown guacamole is not appetizing. Keeping avocodo pristine-green is easier than you think.