Tropical fruits:avocado. A series of articles discusses common tropical fruits from A-Z. In this second article you will find all information, including origin, processing, use and cultivation of the tropical fruit:Avocado.
Before I go into tropical fruits, everything about the avocado, first a short explanation about the origin. You probably walk into the supermarket without thinking to buy avocado. However, the fruit has not been popular for very long and can be bought in supermarkets. The avocado is the creamy fruit of a shrub-like tree, which originates from Central and South America. Spanish conquerors knew the avocado as early as 1519, through the Aztecs. The Spaniards called the fruit:Abogado, which means:butter from the forest. This is derived from the original name used by the Aztecs:ahuacatl. Only in the 20 e century the fruit became really popular and since then over 400 different types of avocados have been cultivated.
In tropical and subtropical countries, avocado trees are at least 3-4 meters high. The tree bears fruit only once a year. The whole process from flower to unripe fruit (fruits are picked unripe and have to ripen) takes several months, depending on the weather conditions. In Suriname, avocado is usually available during the rainy season between May and July.
In cold countries it is possible to grow an avocado tree. You can do this as follows:place the pit in the middle of the avocado in a transparent glass in a layer of water, with the tip upwards. The glass should be in a bright place on the windowsill, but should not be in full sun all day. Make sure that the pit is always half submerged.
It takes a while, but then you will see roots growing at the bottom and a stem with leaves at the top. If you have enough patience, you can let the tree grow to a height of 30 cm and then place it in a pot with soil. You have to make sure that the pit is not completely submerged.
Avocado is a fruit that contains fat and is high in calories. The grease has a good quality. It consists of unsaturated fatty acids and has a cholesterol-lowering effect on the blood. Despite the fat, the avocado is still easy to digest.
The avocado contains vitamin A, vitamins of the B complex and vitamin E, vitamin C and manganese. Vitamin E is necessary to keep our skin healthy. Vitamins C and E are both antioxidants and can help fight free radicals, which can cause certain cancers.
Avocados are a good source of potassium. This helps regulate blood pressure, ensures a regular heartbeat and a healthy nervous system.
A study of vitamin therapy is underway, showing that high doses of certain vitamins, especially vitamin B6, which is also found in avocados, may have a beneficial effect on a person's behavior. However, as this study has not yet been completed, you should not experiment with the use of high doses of vitamins yourself.
In the beauty industry, avocado is used in making skin care products, due to the presence of vitamin E in avocado.
Unlike other fruits, the avocado only begins to ripen after picking. An unripe avocado can simply ripen at room temperature at home. An avocado is ripe when the fruit feels soft with a light finger pressure around the stem. Furthermore, a ripe avocado has soft yellow, creamy flesh with an equally creamy taste, but this is not visible on the outside.
Avocados are sensitive to cold temperatures and can go bad in the refrigerator. It is best to let the unripe avocado ripen at room temperature and then consume it. An avocado ripens faster if the avocado is placed in a plastic bag together with an apple, pear or banana. Keep a plastic bag containing the fruits at room temperature.
The avocado is actually a very easy tropical fruit that has a skin on the outside and 1 large pit in the middle. To use the avocado you have to cut the avocado in half vertically (along the pit), take it apart and with a spoon you can easily remove the pit (scoop out). You can also remove the pulp from the skin with a spoon.
You can also cut the flesh into cubes or slices in the skin and pop it out by pressing the skin in from the outside.
Caution :avocado flesh discolours quickly and should therefore be sprinkled with lemon juice immediately.
Do you like tropical fruits? Read my other articles in the tropical fruits series:pineapple, banana, prickly pear
