These Sneaky Restaurants Are Serving Fake Guac During an Avocado Shortage
Taco Tuesday just isn’t the same without a big dollop of guac on the side. But some restaurants are serving what we can only describe as crock-a-mole instead of the real deal, meaning you may want to think twice before shelling out a few extra bucks for the green stuff.
High avocado prices and a shortage of the fruit have caused some restaurants to dilute their guacamole with other vegetables or create new guac-like recipes, reported NPR. Horticulture analyst David Magaña of RaboResearch told the outlet that wholesale avocado prices from Mexico have increased 91 percent in the past year. According to Magaña, a 24-pound carton of midsize avocados cost about $66.
This has forced restaurants around the country to get creative by serving their versions of crock-a-mole.
In Los Angeles, eateries substitute Mexican summer squash, according to Javier Cabral, editor of L.A Taco.
“The secret ingredient that I’m sure, you know, no taqueria would ever be 100% proud to admit is Mexican summer tender, little squash,” he explained to NPR’s All Things Considered.
Restaurants blend the squash with olive oil, tomatillos, and jalapeno, and garlic for a dip that tastes virtually the same as guacamole.
“It’s scary how much this fake guacamole tastes like the real guacamole,” he told NPR. “The one thing that you will only be able to tell when doing a side-by-side taste comparison is that Mexican summer squash is sweeter so that it – when you blend it up with the rest of the ingredients, you have a subtly sweet flavor that is not in the avocado guacamole.”
In Texas, Mexican chain Chacho’s created a “guacamole type” product made of spices, broccoli, green peas and other green vegetables, reported the San Antonio Express-News.
“The recent situation is that we are between growing seasons in California and Mexico, so there has been virtually no avocados available,” the restaurant explained in an email to the paper. “We can buy frozen avocado pulp, but it tastes so artificial that we refuse to use it.”
The good news is that avocado production is picking up, meaning the restaurant will soon be able to serve authentic guac.
These imposter dips probably won’t satisfy guacamole enthusiasts, but there is one upside to the whole fiasco: at least they’re loaded with good-for-you veggies.
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