The internet is in an uproar after a New York Times food columnist published a guacamole recipe that's made using English peas.
Add green peas to your guacamole. Trust us. http://t.co/7imMY9c2ph pic.twitter.com/oeOMt2qgmh
- The New York Times (@nytimes) July 1, 2015
Many commenters were outraged by the mere idea of the recipe. Even President Obama weighed in on the issue.
Peas? In Guacamole? Did someone have a stroke?
- JH (@JaymeeJedi) July 1, 2015Peas in guacamole?! We fought two world wars and invented a space program so we could have this world? WTF.
- Wil Wheaton (@wilw) July 1, 2015respect the nyt, but not buying peas in guac. onions, garlic, hot peppers. classic. https://t.co/MEEI8QHH1V
- President Obama (@POTUS) July 1, 2015
But I've tried it and it's actually delicious.
The recipe was adapted from the New York restaurant ABC Cocina's recipe. The restaurant debuted in 2013 and was the brainchild of restaurant titan Jean-Georges Vongerichten and his chef de cuisine, Ian Coogan.
When the restaurant officially opened, the pea guacamole started getting rave reviews from Zagat's James Mulch, Melissa Clark at the New York Time's Diner's Journal, and New York Magazine's restaurant critic Adam Platt.
Grub Street even did a round up of all the reviews of ABC Cocina, and the vast majority were extremely positive.
It was even featured as one of Michelin's Bib Gourmand picks in 2013, the best and most affordable restaurants around New York City.
Of course, the pea guacamole wasn't without its detractors at the time. Eater NY's Robert Sietsema wrote, "Putting fresh peas, raw sunflower seeds, and extraneous green matter on the top of your guacamole is an affront to one of the world's most perfect dishes."
Some people on Yelp weren't pleased either:
The hype over this place is completely unmerited. While it's a cool space, the food is solidly mediocre. For example, the lauded spring pea guacamole was a generic guacamole with peas. I was expecting some mind blowing experience because everyone spoke so highly about it and I was totally underwhelmed. Perhaps, some of these people have never had guacamole before and their first time was quite memorable?
Covering restaurants back then on Business Insider and being a lover of guacamole, I knew I wanted to at least give the pea guacamole a try.
I didn't get an opportunity until last year when my mom came to visit New York City. By then, the restaurant was a year old, but still popular enough that we felt lucky to secure a lunch reservation.
When we sat down, my mom and I immediately ordered the gauc.
Before this dish, I had always made very traditional guacamole and didn't love when restaurants would get cute by trying to add pomegranate seeds or anything other than avocados, onion, lime juice, jalapeño, tomatoes, cilantro, garlic, and salt.
But ABC Cocina's pea guac completely changed my mind.
The fresh sweetness of the peas, the nuttiness of the sunflower seeds, and the heat of the classic guacamole ingredients was refreshing. It was very similar to traditional guacamole but the peas made it a little chunkier, a little sweeter (in a good way!), and a little greener. After a few minutes, the pea guacamole was gone.
So lay off the New York Times and ABC Cocina until you've tried it.