Plants
Facts about Avocado
Persea americana
Avocado, also called an avocado pear or alligator pear is a staple in the Aztec diet. Gaining popularity in recent years, it is a tasty addition to culinary inventions with many beneficent properties.
1
From a botanical point of view, avocado is a large berry. It contains a single, large seed.
2
Its name comes from the Spanish word aguacate. The name derives from Mexicano – the Uto-Aztecan language family – āhuacatl.
3
The avocado belongs to the Lauraceae family. It is a flowering plant family that includes true laurel – an aromatic evergreen tree.
4
It originates from southcentral Mexico. Later avocado cultivations spread to North, South, and Latin America, Africa, Asia, and southern Europe. Mexican cultivations produce over 2,3 million tons a year.
5
Some sources claim avocado was domesticated by Mesoamerican tribes about 5,000 years ago. It makes its cultivation as old as the invention of the wheel.
6
Avocado is pear-shaped, round, or egg-shaped. It is usually 7 – 20 centimeters long and weighs about 100 – 170 grams. Its flesh is fat and creamy, and the outer layer thick, leathery, and green or brown-green.
7
Avocado trees grow up to 20 – 24 meters high.
8
The ripening period of the fruit is exceptionally long and takes between 6 to 8 months.
9
Avocado contains many valuable substances beneficial to the human body. One of them is oleic acid, which lowers blood cholesterol levels.
10
Avocado is rich in unsaturated fatty acids omega-3 and omega-6. It increases the absorption of lycopene from tomatoes, therefore it should be consumed together.
