Avocado makes a tasty, healthy dish in quick time

Avocado fruits have a smooth, creamy, greenish-yellow flesh with an unusually high amount of fat that is primarily monounsaturated. They also contain a high concentration of dietary fibre, vitamins and potassium.

Also known as aguacate, butter or alligator pear the avocado is a tree native to Mexico, Central and South America, classified in the flowering plant family Lauraceae.

The name “avocado” also refers to the fruit (technically a berry) of the tree that contains an egg-shaped pit. Avocado trees were cultivated in pre-Incan settlements with archeological evidence dating to 750 BC.

Avocados are a commercially valuable crop whose trees and fruit are cultivated in tropical climates throughout the world, producing a green-skinned, pear-shaped fruit that ripens after harvesting.

Trees are partially self-pollinating and often are propagated through grafting to maintain a predictable quality and quantity of the fruit.

Interestingly the word “avocado” comes from the word ahuakatl (testicle, a reference to the shape of the fruit). Historically avocados had a long-standing stigma as a sexual stimulant and were not purchased or consumed by any person wishing to preserve a chaste image. Avocados were known by the Aztecs as “the fertility fruit”.

In some countries of South America such as Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Peru, and Uruguay, the avocado is known by its Quechua name, palta. In other Spanish-speaking countries it is called aguacate, and in Portuguese it is abacate.

The fruit is sometimes called a butter pear, avocado pear and alligator pear (pear due to its shape, and alligator due to the rough green skin of some cultivars).

An average avocado tree produces about hundreds of avocados annually. The fruit has a markedly higher fat content than most other fruit, mostly monounsaturated fat. A ripe avocado will yield to a gentle pressure when held in the palm of the hand and squeezed. The flesh oxidises and turns brown quickly after exposure to air. To prevent this, lime or lemon juice can be added to avocados after they are peeled.

The avocado is very popular in vegetarian cuisine, making an excellent substitute for meats in sandwiches and salads because of its high fat content. The fruit is not sweet, but fatty, distinctly yet subtly flavoured, and of smooth, almost creamy texture. It is used as the base for the Mexican dip known as guacamole, as well as a filling for several kinds of sushi, including California rolls. Avocado is popular in chicken dishes and as a spread on toast, served with salt and pepper. In Brazil and Vietnam, avocados are considered sweet fruits, so are frequently used for milkshakes and occasionally added to ice cream and other desserts. In Brazil, Vietnam, the Philippines and Indonesia, a dessert drink is made with sugar, milk or water, and pureed avocado. Chocolate syrup is sometimes added.

In Mexico and Central America, avocados are served mixed with white rice, in soups, salads, or on the side of chicken and meat. In Chile its consumption is widespread and used as a puree in chicken, hamburgers and hot dogs, and in slices for celery or lettuce salads. The Chilean version of caesar salad contains large slices of mature avocado.

Smoked turkey or chicken

with avocado

Ingredients

3 ripe fresh Avocados (1-1/2 pounds), diced

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1 Tbsp mustard

? Cup prepared vinaigrette

1 ? Cups smoked turkey or chicken, diced

? Cup dried cherries or cranberries

12 Cups mixed lettuces

6 baked pizza (bread) shells (about 6 inches in diameter)

Instructions

Gently toss avocado with lemon juice; reserve. Whisk mustard into vinaigrette. Toss turkey, dried fruit, and mixed lettuces with vinaigrette. Gently fold in reserved avocado. Divide among six warmed bread shells

Avocado dip

Ingredients

1 ripe avocado, diced

1 tomato, diced

? Cup corn kernels

Juice from 1 lime

2 Tbsp chopped cilantro or to taste

Salt

Ground black pepper

Ground red cayenne pepper (optional)

Minced jalapeno peppers (optional)

Instructions

Combine avocado, tomato, corn, lime juice, and cilantro. Toss together gently.

Season to taste with salt and pepper. For a spicier salsa, season with cayenne or minced jalapenos