Part of the beauty of TikTok is the way seemingly basic trends can feel brand new again. Between makeup styles that make you look cutely cold and easy-to-follow dances to your favorite song from Midnights, users love to share their current obsessions — and the #FoodTok side of the app is no different. You may not have had tuna avocado sandwiches going viral on your 2022 Bingo card, but as the past few years have proven, not everything is predictable.
The “Tunacado” sandwich trend is aptly named due to its two main ingredients, tuna and avocado, so you can think of it as the Bennifer of viral foods. On TikTok, the hashtag #tunacado has 11.7 million views and its popularity is thanks to Danielle Matzon, known by her username @dzaslavsky on TikTok. Her page is full of luxury and lifestyle content, but it’s her food and eating videos that other users particularly love to watch and emulate.
On Sept. 26, Matzon posted a video to her page sharing one of her favorite lunches to order from Joe & The Juice, a coffee and juice chain that also offers sandwiches and bowls. The Tunacado featured on the menu is made with Joe’s classic bread, tomato, avocado, vegan pesto, and tuna, which Matzon describes as “tuna mousse” in that first video.
It’s safe to say that a tuna and avocado sandwich isn’t particularly groundbreaking, but it seems the way Matzon talked about the sandwich and upgraded it at home is what made others want to give it a try. In her initial video, she says she likes to add hot sauce and mustard and loves eating giant capers and pickles on the side. “You always make my mouth water like crazy with your snacks,” one commenter wrote. “I don’t like tuna sandwiches but you make it sound so good,” another one added.
After Matzon touted her go-to Joe & The Juice order, other TikTokers started to hop on the trend and try it out for themselves. Under the #tunacado hashtag you can find taste tests and DIY recreations.
User @myarosemiller_ credited Matzon for the trend and added their own customizations inspired by her too, including mustard and Tabasco sauce. Apparently, mustard really does make all the difference.
Self-proclaimed “tuna girl” @jenniferlanguedoc also confirmed the trend is worth the hype. Unsurprisingly, as the Tunacado started to gain traction, cooking accounts began sharing their take on how to recreate the sandwich at home.
All you need is a flatbread, pesto, tomato, avocado, and tuna to accomplish an at-home Tunacado. @Myhealthydish suggests pulsing the tuna in a food processor for a few seconds to achieve a similar texture to the original. Mustard and giant capers are, of course, not required but are highly recommended for the full experience.
Ultimately, this seems to be the embodiment of a “don’t knock it ‘til you try it” situation. If you have a Joe & The Juice near you, you can order the original (find restaurant locations here) or you can attempt to make one in your home kitchen. Although perhaps part of the appeal is that things tastes better when someone else makes it for you. That’s a scientific fact, right?
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