Avocado

A tropical fruit at its best in its native land, the America tropics, where every variety of avocados has grown for centuries. Three families of avocado exist: the West Indian, the Guatemalan, and the Mexican. Avocados are generally pear-shaped or round; however, certain varieties can weigh more than three pounds each. Its skin is a brilliant green, which, as the fruit matures, can change to red, purple or purplish-black depending on the variety, and which can also vary in texture from smooth to bumpy. Its flesh, which can either be a yellow or a pale green, surrounds a single, large pit.

The texture of its flesh is butter-smooth, earning it the name `subaltern's butter' or `midshipman's butter'. It has a fairly bland, almost tasteless favor, although some people feel it has a nutty taste. The best varieties have very few fibers in the flesh. With the exception of the olive, no other fruit has such a large percentage of fat as the avocado.

The name avocado is derived from the Spanish word, ahuacate or agucate, which had already been in fact derived from the Aztec word ahucati. Other spellings have included: albecata, arragorzt, auocato and alligator pear. In 1669, Sir Henry Sloane first coined the term avocado when he first spoke of it as the avocado or the alligator pear. Both terms still exist, although efforts are being made to keep only one of them, avocado. The avocado serves many purposes when cooking; it can be used in salads, as a soup, a sandwich filling, or simply halved and served with a dressing.

Note: New Zealand produce a beautiful avocado oil, amazingly versatile.