Avocado Fruit

Avocado history and basics

A fruit belonging to the avocado tree, that has historical origins in Mexico. The consumption of avocados can be traced back to about 10,000 years ago. The cultivation in Mexico goes back to 5,000BC, with the region producing 34% of the world's avocados in 2017. A commercially valuable fruit that is cultivated mostly in tropical and Mediterranean climates around the world.

Avocados are botanically considered single seed berries. They have green skin, with a lighter green fleshy body and can be pear-shaped, egg-shaped or spherical. The trees often self pollinate, but human intervention is common in cultivation to maintain a predictable yield. There are roughly a dozen different kinds of avocados in the world.

A ripe avocado is a little soft to the touch but supple. Once ripe they tend to go bad fast. The flesh is very prone to enzymatic browning once exposed to air. This can be countered with lemon or lime juice. The flesh itself has a subtle taste and when it is the right amount of ripe it almost melts in one's mouth.

Nutritional value and more

The consumption of avocados is considered to be healthy. This is due to the fact that they are rich in vitamins and minerals. The energy in the fruit mainly comes from the fat, most of which is monounsaturated oleic acid. Avocados are also a good source of fibre.

Some people may have allergic reactions to avocados, this can be people with pollen-related allergies or people who have latex-fruit syndrome.

The leaves, bark, skin and pit of an avocado are known to be toxic for many animals, including dogs, cats, cattle, goats, rabbits, horses and a few more. Consumption of the aforementioned parts of the avocado plant and fruit could make them extremely ill and even kill, depending on how much was consumed.

Avocado's culinary uses

One of the most known items made using avocados is guacamole. They are used in many other dishes all over the world, but commonly people have them sliced along with their meal or on toast. Parts of the world also make milkshakes from avocados.

Comments

The avocado is considered an evolutionary anachronism, meaning it was designed to exist in another time. They have been around for thousands of years and the animals that could consume them whole excreting the seed do not exist anymore. That was how the seed originally was dispersed. Growing in the dung it was excreted with. 

Avocados are expensive to purchase, per unit price-wise even.