Part of the beauty of TikTok is that seemingly basic trends can become new again. Between makeup styles that make you look cute and chill and dancing to easy-to-follow midnight songs, users love sharing their current obsessions — and the #FoodTok aspect of the app is no exception. The popular tuna avocado sandwich may not be on your 2022 bingo card, but as the past few years have proven, not everything is predictable.
The "tuna" sandwich trend is named for its two main ingredients, tuna and avocado, so you can think of it as the Bennifer of viral foods. On TikTok, the #tunacado hashtag has 11.7 million views, and its popularity can be attributed to Danielle Matzon, whose username on TikTok is @dzaslavsky. Her page is filled with luxury and lifestyle content, but it's her food and diet videos that other users particularly enjoy watching and copying.
Matzon posted a video on her page on Sept. 26, sharing one of her favorite lunch orders from Joe & The Juice, a coffee and juice chain that also offers sandwiches and bowls. The tuna on the menu is made with Joe's classic bread, tomatoes, avocado, vegan pesto and tuna, which Mattsson describes as a "tuna mousse" in the first video.
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It's safe to say that the tuna and avocado sandwich isn't particularly groundbreaking, but it seems like the way Mattson talks about the sandwich and upgrades it at home makes others want to give it a try. In her original video, she said she loved adding hot sauce and mustard, and eating giant capers and pickles on the side. "Your snacks always make my mouth water," one commenter wrote. "I don't like tuna sandwiches but you made it sound delicious," another added.
After Matzon promoted her go-to order of Joe & The Juice, other TikTok users started following the trend and trying it themselves. Under the hashtag #tunacado you can find taste tests and DIY fun activities.
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User @myarosemiller_ credits Matzon with the trend and has added custom products inspired by her, including mustard and Tabasco sauce. Apparently, mustard really does make all the difference.
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Self-proclaimed "tuna girl" @jenniferlanguedoc also confirmed that this trend is worth the hype. Not surprisingly, as tuna started to gain traction, cooking accounts began sharing how they recreated the sandwich at home.
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All you need is bread, pesto, tomatoes, avocado, and tuna to make tuna at home. @Myhealthydish recommends putting the tuna in a food processor and blending it for a few seconds to achieve a texture similar to the original. Of course, the mustard and giant capers are not required, but highly recommended for the full experience.
Ultimately, this seems to be a case of "don't knock it 'til you try it". If you have a Joe & The Juice near you, you can order the original (find restaurant locations here) or try making one in your own kitchen. Although part of the appeal may be that things taste better when someone else makes them for you. It's a scientific fact, right?
