Avocado
Family Lauraceae
Persea americana (= Persea gratissima), the avocado (P. americana 1), is an evergreen tree, up to 20 m high, with simple leaves, variable in size and shape. The small yellowish-green flowers are borne in axillary panicles, each flower with 6 sepals in 2 whorls and no petals, 9 stamens and a 1-celled ovary. The fruit is a globose or pear-shaped berry with a skin of different texture (P. americana 2), 7-20 cm long, green, yellowish or purple (P. americana 3) in colour, and containing a large single seed (P. americana 4). The edible pulp is yellowish or green and of butter-like consistency and very rich in vitamins A, B and E. It contains 25% of fat and a fair amount of proteins.
Distribution
The Spanish explorers recorded the fruit, which they called abogado, a corruption of the Aztec word ‘ ahuacatl’ , in Central and South America, but not in the West Indies. Around 1650 the plant was introduced into Jamaica. The Old World was reached in a later stage, in 1780 the avocado reached Mauritius and only in 1892 it is recorded from Zanzibar. Today the avocado is grown in most tropical countries. Commercial growth of avocado’ s in the US dates from the 20th century. It was only after the Second World War that the fruit gained some popularity in Europe.
Use
The many varieties of avocado are distinguished into 3 groups:
1. the Mexican type, with slender pear-shaped fruits and a bright green and glabrous skin;
2. the Guatemala type, with large globular fruits and a green or purple-black leathery and ridged skin;
3. the West Indian type, with large fruits and dark green, usually rough skin.
The pulp with a somewhat nutty taste is eaten fresh and in salads. It is an important part of the diet in Central America. The pulp is also used for sauces, e.g. guacamole, and in ice creams. Avocado oil is used in soap and cosmetics.
The biggest producers are Mexico, Brazil and the Dominican Republic. Other producing countries are the US, Peru, Indonesia, Venezuela, Haiti and Israel. In Europe avocado’ s are mainly imported from Israel.