The avocado was the superfood of 2016. With its creamy, silky texture and versatile nature, this is the trendy food that has ruled Instagram for a respectable period of time. We bring to you a list of 10 things, we bet you didn’t know about the humble fruit.
1. Strange Origins
Avocados used to be eaten by giant ground sloths and were saved from extinction by humans. Yup, our species is actually capable of protecting something valuable, who knew?
2. Surprising Fact
The word ‘avocado’ means ‘testicle’, named so, because of its shape. In the Aztec language, the word 'ahuacatl', from which 'avocado' derives, means 'testicle'. In fact avocado is an aphrodisiacal food conferring energy and virility; it is rich in vitamin B6 which facilitates the production of hormones and this amounts to sexual passion in the case of men. (For all those childlike adults out there, keep that grin in check. I also apologise for the visual imagery this will spark every time you see an avocado now :D)
3. Good-To-Know Trivia
Hass, the best-known avocado variety is dark, with a knobbly skin. This gift of nature has earned the name of “alligator pear”. Other well-known varieties are Ettinger and Fuerte smooth-skinned avocados and Nabal with its characteristic round shape.
4. It's All Merry and Berry
Avocado is basically a berry – a large one with a single seed inside it. Let’s not kid ourselves, the berry is the most attractive fruit family.
5. The Ultimate Use
The most famous avocado-based recipe in the world, guacamole, dates back to the ancient Aztec civilisation. Its traditional method calls for the use of a 'molcajete', a typical Mexican pestle and mortar for mashing and mixing the ingredients. I recommend this recipe, it is super-easy and super-fun!
Zaboca is the Caribbean name for avocado, particularly in Trinidad and Tobago, where 'zaboca choka' is the Caribbean-style guacamole, spiced up of course by delicious Scotch bonnet peppers, an autochthonous variety of chilli pepper.
6. Some Worrying Facts
It takes 1 gallon of water to grow a single almond and 220 to grow an avocado. This is a water-intensive crop that has sucked almost all of the water out of the states of California and Mexico. Oh, wait, our species isn’t actually capable of saving something entirely good. We knew that.
It is estimated that the Mexico drug cartels make $152 million a year from growing and selling avocados
7. The Healthy Alternative
You can swap them into baked goods recipes for butter: The creamy texture and healthy fats make for a surprisingly easy baking substitution. And no, you won’t be making green muffins. In the right ratios, you can ditch some butter and replace with avocado for healthier chocolate chip cookies, banana bread and brownies. Try this one for Avocado Chocolate Banana Bread, it is the ultimate gluten-free, dairy-free treat.
8. The New Age
With us entering a new phase of food innovation, the avocado burger bun is the newest trend-gone is the traditional flour bun, this burger features two avocado buns sandwiching the meat and vegetables of your choice.
We hope this trivia motivates you to try this novel ingredient that aims to please all its consumers!