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The avocado has been known by many names -
butter pear and alligator pear to name but two. It earned the title
butter pear clearly because of its consistency, but alligator pear was
the original Spanish name. Although you would be forgiven for thinking
this was due to its knobbly skin (among some varieties anyway), the name
in fact derives from the Spanish which was based on the Aztec word, the
basically unpronounceable ahuacatl. From this to the easily-said
alligator and thence to avocado was but one short step.
History - The avocado is a New World
fruit, native to Mexico, but while it would have been "discovered" by
the Old World explorers, it didn't become a popular food in Europe until
the middle of this century, when modern transport meant that growers in
California, who started farming avocados in the middle of the nineteenth
century, could market this fruit worldwide. Avocados are now also
exported by South Africa and Australia.
Nutrition - The avocado is high in
protein and carbohydrate. It is one of the few fruits that contains fat,
and it is also rich in potassium, vitamin C, some B vitamins and vitamin
E. Its rich oils, particularly its vitamin E content, mean that it is
not only useful as food, but for skin and hair care too, something the
Aztecs and Incas were aware of a thousand years ago. The cosmetic
industry may have been in its infancy, but it still knew a good thing
when it saw it. Because of their valuable protein and vitamin content,
avocados are a popular food for babies. They are easily blended, and
small children generally enjoy their creamy texture and pleasant flavor.
Varieties - There are four
varieties: Hass, the purple-black small knobbly avocado, the Ettinger
and Fuerte, which are pear-shaped and have smooth green skin, and the
Nabal, which is rounder in shape. The black-colored Hass has
golden-yellow flesh, while green avocados have pale green to yellow
flesh.
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