According to Good Morning America, some restaurants in California and Texas are serving Fake Guacamole to customers.
The problem arises when the supply of avocado was slowing down and driving up prices to almost twice what they were last year almost $66 per case.
El Tepeyac Cafe’s operations manager Carlos Thome told ABC News: “In previous years they’ve gone up to $110 around this time.”
That’s almost 200% increase in the cost of avocados. Such news is not good for restaurants who serve guacamole, or use a lot of guacamole in their dishes.
This problem with the cost of avocados pushed chefs to look for substitutes. One option is using Calabacita, a Mexican squash that mimics the texture of avocados and is a lot cheaper.
“We have the highest or the strongest demand for avocados in the U.S., probably ever,” David Magaña, a senior horticulture analyst in California, told NPR. “At the same time, production of avocados has been down.”
Some restaurants opted for calabacita alternative, while other restaurants have removed avocado dishes from their menu. Others are charging the high amount to cover the cost of production.
Javier Calbral, editor of L.A. Taco, told ABC News, “You make this fake one using a summer squash that looks almost like a zucchini, and you blend them, and you get them to that texture that is [like] a taqueria guacamole. It’s pretty eerily similar [in] texture and flavor to be honest.”
If you are thinking about how to spot the phony guacamole then you will find the difference as it is thinner, more watery texture. But sometimes it is not easy to recognize the fake one and you might be the one who eats it without realizing that you have been fooled. So be aware!