Avocado

Where it grows

The avocado was domesticated in southern Mexico and Guatemala thousands of years ago. Today Mexico is by far the world’s largest producer, followed by the Dominican Republic, Peru, and Colombia, with significant production in California, Israel, and Spain.

How to recognise it

Avocado is a medium evergreen tree with leathery, oblong leaves arranged spirally. The small greenish flowers open in two distinct phases (an unusual synchronous dichogamy) to encourage cross-pollination. The fruit is a single-seeded berry with a buttery, oil-rich flesh enclosing a large central pit.

Uses

Avocado flesh contains up to 30 percent oil — overwhelmingly monounsaturated — and is eaten fresh, mashed into guacamole, blended into smoothies, or used as a butter substitute. Cold-pressed avocado oil is used in cooking and in cosmetic moisturisers.

In culture

The Aztec word ahuacatl (also meaning “testicle”) gave us aguacate and then avocado. The Hass cultivar — the leathery purple-black variety that dominates global trade — descends from a single seedling planted in California in the 1920s.