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National Guacamole Day

Food · September 16

A day for guacamole, the mashed avocado dip with lime, onion, cilantro and chile that turns up beside chips, tacos and nearly anything toasted.

National Guacamole Day falls on Thursday, September 16, 2027. That is 324 days away.

Guacamole starts with ripe avocados, mashed with a fork or in a stone bowl until they are as smooth or as chunky as you like. Lime juice and salt come next, then onion, cilantro and a bit of chopped chile. Some cooks add tomato or garlic. Others consider that a matter for serious discussion.

The dish comes from Mexico, where avocados have been eaten for a very long time, and the name traces back to a word in Nahuatl. In the United States it has become a fixture at parties, taco nights and anywhere a bag of tortilla chips is opened.

Most of the work is in the avocado. A ripe one gives a little when pressed gently, and the skin of the common Hass variety turns dark as it softens. Too firm and the guacamole tastes grassy. Too soft and it can turn stringy and brown inside.

People mark the day simply, by making a bowl and sharing it. It goes on tacos, eggs, burgers and toast, and it disappears fast from a table.

Once cut, avocado browns when it meets the air. Lime juice slows this down, and so does pressing plastic wrap right against the surface of the bowl before it goes in the fridge.

Ways to celebrate

• Make guacamole from scratch with a fork and a ripe avocado.
• Try a version with tomato, then one without, and compare.
• Spread leftover guacamole on toast or eggs the next morning.
• Share a bowl with chips at lunch or dinner.
• Ask a friend how they make theirs and borrow one step.

Dates

All national days on September 16

Also on September 16

• National Play-Doh Day
• National Cinnamon-Raisin Bread Day
• Collect Rocks Day
• Mayflower Day

Categories: Food days