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The "Ahuacatlan" as the Mayan and Aztecs
would call the Avocado has an ancient history in South and
Central America, but it wasn't till the mid-1800's that
Spanish settlers introduced the fruit in California. As a
small child, growing up in Los Angeles in the early
1950's, Avocado trees were found growing in
Grandma Ethel's back yard. It was common in Southern California and Mexico to find on everyone's dinner
table some dish with the luscious rich fruit in a starring
role. It became a common fruit after 1950, making its way into
every green grocers' stall so that the Avocado is now
available year around.
There are many types of Avocados available; however the two
main types are the Haas, available from April through
November, and the Fuerte available December through April,
with some cross over...Haas Avocado has a thick bumpy skin
that changes from a dark green to black as it ripens. Its
flesh has the richest flavor, very nutty with higher oil
content than the thinner skinned Fuerte. Florida
Avocados tend to be larger than the California Avocados, but
they have a higher water content and lower in fat, with a less
rich, watery taste.
To tell if your Avocado is ripe, test for firmness
by holding and squeezing gently in the palm of your hand...the flesh should have
some give...smell the Avocado...if it has a very faint nut
like smell, that's good, buy it and enjoy a real taste treat.
Beware however, if it smells strong or has an
off, sour smell and has mushy soft spots, it is overripe-don't
buy! ...Under ripe
Avocados can be purchased and stored in brown paper bags till
the fruit softens....
Avocados, though higher in fat than most fruit, is
healthful. It has large amounts of potassium, some good fiber,
and the fat itself is of the "good" monosaturate
kind. Half an average California Avocado is about 180 calories
and it has lots of Vitamin A, C, and E.
It isn't just for Guacamole anymore! A huge list of great
Avocado recipes: HTTP://www.avoinfo.com/recipes/index.shtml
Some Avocado information sites:
http://www.avoinfo.com/
http://www.west.net/~lsrose/cas/Logo.html
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