Avocado History
- From Alligator Pear to Avocado. A 1696 catalog of Jamaican plants mentioned the avocado, referring to it as an alligator pear tree. ...
- Slow Growth to Widespread Appeal. Outside of California, Florida, and Hawaii, the three states with commercial growers, the avocado caught on slowly.
- The Case for Avocados. ...
Where do avocados come from?
Avocados grow on a tree, Persea americana , that is native to the Western Hemisphere from Mexico south to the Andean regions.
What is the average size of an avocado?
Avocados are exceedingly variable in size, no larger than a hen’s egg in certain Mexican races and sometimes weighing 1–2 kg (2–4 pounds) in other...
What nutrients are present in avacados?
Avocados have thiamin, riboflavin, and vitamin A, and in some varieties, the flesh contains 25 percent unsaturated oil.
How do you eat avocado?
Avocados are often eaten in salads, and in many parts of the world they are eaten as a dessert. Mashed avocado is the principal ingredient of guaca...
From Aztec Aphrodisiac to American Obsession
The cultivated avocado ( Persea americana) has its origins in what is known today as Puebla, Mexico, where this creamy fruit's existence can be traced back over 10,000 years, growing wild in nature.
From Alligator Pear to Avocado
A 1696 catalog of Jamaican plants mentioned the avocado, referring to it as an alligator pear tree. Henry Perrine, a horticulturist, planted avocados in Florida in 1833. But they did not become a cash crop until much later.
Slow Growth to Widespread Appeal
Outside of California, Florida, and Hawaii, the three states with commercial growers, the avocado caught on slowly. It wasn’t until the end of the 20th century that consumers across the country began to seek out the unusual savory fruit, which is actually a single-seeded berry.
The Case for Avocados
The thick-skinned Hass avocados, grown in Southern California and imported from Mexico, are the most common in U.S. markets, followed by Fuerte, a thinner-skinned, lighter-colored version. High in potassium and the so-called “good fat,” avocados have become the darling of nutritionists.
What was the original name for avocados?
When the Aztecs discovered the green fruit, they named it āhuacatl which directly translates to "testicle."
Why do some people think avocado means "testicle sauce?"
Avocado fans have speculated that the name may actually translate to "testicle sauce."
A Spanish Navigator Rediscovered The Avocado In Yaharo In the 1500s
But it was the 15th-century navigator Martin Fernandez De Encisco from Seville, Spain, who brought the fruit back to popular knowledge when he set out on his quest of discovering the unknown in the “New World.” Encisco writes in his seminal work Suma de Geografia (1519) about a fruit he chanced upon at the port town of Yaharo that “looks like an orange” but turns “yellowish when it is ready to be eaten.” He goes on to explain the “marvelous flavor” of the insides of the fruit, which tastes “like butter” and is “so good and pleasing to the palate.” 2.
The First Historian Called Avocado A Different Pear
Though Encisco enjoyed the fruit to the hilt, he did not give it a name; nor did Spanish historian Gonzalo Fernandez de Oviedo, who stumbled upon the fruit in the northern part of South America. He wrote about it in his work that described the many wonders he saw in the New World, Sumario de la Natural Historia de las Indias, published in 1526.
Avocado Was First Called Aguacate And Palta
It was Pedro de Cieza de Leon, the Spanish conquistador and chronicler of Peru, who gave the fruit its first known name. He referred to it as “aguacate” and “palta” in his writings between 1532 and 1550 and wrote that the fruit was widely used by the inhabitants of the land – the people from the Inca civilization.
The Name Avocado Came About In 1696
The name avocado appeared for the first time in naturalist Sir Hans Sloane’s catalog of Jamaican plants, which was published in 1696. He did not describe the fruit but the tree and called it “the avocado or alligator pear-tree, which grows in gardens and fields throughout Jamaica.”
The Avocado Is Now Considered A Superfood
Today, there are about 400 varieties of avocado available around the world. It is considered one of the most nutritious fruits – with a high fiber content, more potassium than in bananas, and rich in folates and vitamin E. It is also one of the fruits with the highest protein content.
The OG Avocados Were From Mexico
Researchers believe Puebla, located in South Central Mexico, to be the motherland of the avocado, where this strange and delicious fruit first flourished and locals began consuming them nearly 10,000 years ago.
A Seedy History in the U.S
The avocado made its way to the Land of Liberty in 1833 and enjoyed moderate popularity where avocado farms existed, such as California, Florida, and Hawaii. People in other areas of the country largely avoided avocados until the 1950s when the fruit became a supporting actor in delicious salads.
The Rise of the Avocado
Since then, the avocado never looked back. With the rising popularity of Mexican cuisine over the last several decades and a population more knowledgeable than ever on how to live longer, nutritious-filled lives, the avocado has firmly established itself as an American dietary staple.
You'll never look at an avocado the same way again
There are tons of reasons to love avocados. Not only are they chock-full of good fats that keep your heart healthy and cut your cancer risk, but they taste dang delicious. But they might take on a new giggle-worthy meaning when you learn their backstory.
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Marissa Laliberte-Simonian is a London-based associate editor with the global promotions team at WebMD’s Medscape.com and was previously a staff writer for Reader's Digest. Her work has also appeared in Business Insider, Parents magazine, CreakyJoints, and the Baltimore Sun. You can find her on Instagram @marissasimonian.
