Towards the end of guacamole in the United States

Food and gastronomy

In the face of rising avocado prices, some restaurants in Mexico and the United States are serving fake guacamole.

From avocado toast to guacamole, even desserts, avocado has been omnipresent on our plates for many years. Every Sunday table must present this precious green fruit for a successful brunch. But this obsession is not without consequence.

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Faced with a rise in demand and a shortage in production, the price of the lawyer has exploded in recent months: 84.25 dollars (75 euros) for a fund of 10 kilos against 37 dollars (33 euros) a year ago , an increase of 127%, according to David Magaña, a RaboResearch analyst in California, quoted by Slate. Its main ingredient has become a luxury product, guacamole is now cut with other vegetables or replaced in a growing number of restaurants. Without notifying of course to the customers.

Mockamole

End of July, The Guardian revealed that some tacos stalls in Mexico City were selling fake guacamole, made from "calabacitas", a Mexican green squash whose taste resembles that of guacamole, as well as texture and color. " Once cooked and mixed with a holy combination of ingredients – tomatillo, coriander, garlic and jalapeno – it can be hard to tell the difference "said the British newspaper. A week later, Quartz spread the scandal to some restaurants in California and Texas.

Other establishments have decided to be completely transparent with their customers, either by indicating "mockamole" on their menu, or by simply erasing any dish based on avocado.

in 2019, even the guac is fake https://t.co/Y2L6SFN87t

– Ben Adlin (@badlin) August 1, 2019

Ecological disaster

" The end of the reign of the lawyer may have sounded ", ad Slate. But that was to be expected. In the United States, where we eat four times more avocados than in 2000, drought in California has severely affected the productivity of the crop. In Mexico, where the El Niño weather phenomenon has increased pressure on water supplies, there has been a crisis surrounding the avocado for several years.

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The conquest of green gold is an ecological disaster for Mexico. With this thriving market, Mexican cartels also want their share of the pie. His first victim: the forest, with 170,000 hectares of pine cleared in ten years illegal. This massive exploitation also has consequences for the health of the inhabitants. Indeed, the high-dose use of pesticides is responsible for diseases in locals. In the end, the end of the reign of the lawyer would not be worse.