Avocado
By: Anonymous

About

A nutritious fruit thought to have originated in southern Mexico, but since grown in tropical and semi-tropical regions of the world.
Avocados are pear shaped fruits with dark green to purple-ish black colored skin. The flesh which becomes buttery soft when ripe, is light green near the skin becoming yellowish toward its single, ovoid seed in the center. 
Often used to make guacamole, avocados are great eaten raw on their own or in salads and salsas. They're also a wonderful ingredient in soups, or as a topping for burgers or sandwiches.

Information
Other names: Butter Pear, Alligator Pear
Translations: Avokado, Avokadas, Avokado, Bơ, Awokado, एवोकैडो, Abacate, Авокадо, Αβοκάντο, أفوكادو, 아보카도, Avokádo, Alpukat, Abukado, 鳄梨, Alvocat, Avokado, Avokádo, אבוקדו, Avokado, Авокадо, アボカド, Avocat, Avokado, Aguacate, Авокадо, Avokado, Авокадо


Physical Description
The skin is bumpy, green, and dark brown.  Avocados are about the size of a pear.  The flesh is green and yellow.  It contains a pit that needs to be removed before eating.  The texture of the flesh is soft and creamy.
Colors: Unripe- green  Ripe- dark brown


Tasting Notes
Flavors: Nutty, sweet
Mouthfeel: Creamy, Rich, Buttery
Food complements: Salsa, Burritos, Steaks, Chips, Vegetables, Eggs, Cucumbers, Tomatoes
Wine complements: Red wine, Cabernet savignon, Merlot, Zinfandel, White wine
Beverage complements: Any beverage, Sangria, Tequila, Tea
Substitutes: Chayote squash


Selecting and Buying
Seasonality: january, february, march, april, may, june, july, august, september, opctober, november, december
Peak: april, may, june, july, august, september, opctober
Choosing: Availability will depend on person's location.  Typically they are in season April through September.
Buying: Can be bought at any grocery store and Latin market.
Procuring: Grown in Mexico, South America, and Central America.  Avocados grow on trees.


Preparation and Use
Popular in salsas and Latin dishes.  Cut avocado in half and twist to separate.  Use a spoon to scoop out pit.  Peel the skin off from the flesh.
Cleaning: Clean with cool water and a paper towel to avoid contamination once opened. 


Conserving and Storing
Store unripe avocados in a dark place or brown bag.  Use ripe avocados right away.  


Social/Political
Indians in tropical America break avocados in half, add salt and eat with tortillas and a cup of coffee—as a complete meal. In North America, avocados are primarily served as salad vegetables, merely halved and garnished with seasonings, lime juice, lemon juice, vinegar, mayonnaise or other dressings. Often the halves are stuffed with shrimp, crab or other seafood. Avocado flesh may be sliced or diced and combined with tomatoes, cucumbers or other vegetables and served as a salad. The seasoned flesh is sometimes used as a sandwich filling. Avocado, cream cheese and pineapple juice may be blended as a creamy dressing for fruit salads.
Mexican guacamole, a blend of the pureed flesh with lemon or lime juice, onion juice or powder, minced garlic, chili powder or Tabasco sauce, and salt and pepper has become a widely popular "dip" for crackers, potato chips or other snacks. The ingredients of guacamole may vary and some people add mayonnaise.
Because of its tannin content, the flesh becomes bitter if cooked. Diced avocado can be added to lemon-flavored gelatin after cooling and before it is set, and chunks of avocado may be added to hot foods such as soup, stew, chili or omelettes just before serving. In Guatemalan restaurants, a ripe avocado is placed on the table when a hot dish is served and the diner scoops out the flesh and adds it just before eating. For a "gourmet" breakfast, avocado halves are warmed in an oven at low heat, then topped with scrambled eggs and anchovies.
In Brazil, the avocado is regarded more as a true fruit than as a vegetable and is used mostly mashed in sherbet, ice cream, or milk shakes. Avocado flesh is added to heated ice cream mixes (such as boiled custard) only after they have cooled. If mashed by hand, the fork must be a silver one to avoid discoloring the avocado. A New Zealand recipe for avocado ice cream is a blend of avocado, lemon juice, orange juice, grated orange rind, milk, cream, sugar and salt, frozen, beaten until creamy, and frozen again.
History: Avocados date back 10,000 years BC in Mexico. The avocado may have originated in southern Mexico but was cultivated from the Rio Grande to central Peru long before the arrival of Europeans. Thereafter, it was carried not only to the West Indies (where it was first reported in Jamaica in 1696), but to nearly all parts of the tropical and subtropical world with suitable environmental conditions. It was taken to the Philippines near the end of the 16th Century; to the Dutch East Indies by 1750 and Mauritius in 1780; was first brought to Singapore between 1830 and 1840 but has never become common in Malaya. It reached India in 1892 and is grown especially around Madras and Bangalore but has never become very popular because of the preference for sweet fruits. It was planted in Hawaii in 1825 and was common throughout the islands by 1910; it was introduced into Florida from Mexico by Dr. Henry Perrine in 1833 and into California, also from Mexico, in 1871. Vegetative propagation began in 1890 and stimulated the importation of budwood of various types, primarily to extend the season of fruiting. Some came from Hawaii in 1904