The avocado is a creamy, buttery fruit with a rich, nutty flavor. It is eaten more like a vegetable, mashed, sliced or blended, and is the heart of guacamole.
- Botanical name
- Persea americana
- Type
- Fruit (a large berry with a single seed)
- Native to
- South-central Mexico and Central America
- Top producers
- Mexico (by far the largest), Dominican Republic, Peru, Colombia, Indonesia
- Used most in
- Mexico, the United States, Spain, Latin America, Australia
History
Avocados were eaten in Mesoamerica for thousands of years before the Spanish arrived, and archaeological finds in Mexico show people gathering wild avocados long before farming began. The name comes from the Nahuatl word āhuacatl. Spanish explorers took the fruit to the Caribbean, Europe and beyond from the 16th century. The Hass avocado, now the most popular variety worldwide, comes from a tree grown by a California mailman, Rudolph Hass, in the 1920s and patented in 1935.
Where it comes from
Avocado trees grow best in warm, frost-free climates. Mexico produces the most avocados in the world, followed by countries such as the Dominican Republic, Peru, Colombia and Indonesia. The United States, mainly California and Florida, also grows them.
Where it is used most
Avocado is central to Mexican cooking, where it appears in guacamole, salsas, tacos, soups and salads. It is popular in Spain, the United States and Australia as avocado toast, in Japan in sushi rolls, and in Brazil and Vietnam in sweet drinks and desserts.
Varieties and types
Hass has dark, pebbly skin and is creamy. Fuerte is smoother and slightly milder. Bacon and Zutano are lighter varieties. Large, smooth-skinned types, such as the Florida avocado, are watery and milder.
Flavor and how to use it
Mash avocado for guacamole and spreads, slice it for salads, tacos and sandwiches, or blend it into smoothies, dressings and chocolate desserts. Add acid such as lime juice to slow browning.
Buying, storing and substitutes
Buy firm avocados and ripen them at room temperature; a ripe avocado gives slightly when pressed. Refrigerate once ripe to slow it down. To store a cut half, keep the pit in, brush with lime or lemon juice and wrap tightly. In guacamole, green peas or mashed zucchini can stretch the avocado, though the flavor changes.
Good to know
Avocados are high in fat, mostly unsaturated. The skin and pit are not eaten.
Recipes that use it
Photo credit: Dan Kheyfets on Pexels.