Awesome Avocado by Jessica Percy The “alligator pear” is crawling beyond the confines of Mexican cuisine and California rolls, looking to leave its mark on the culinary world at large. The results are not only nutritious, but delightfully delicious as well!
An aphrodisiacal fruit…
Though many people might assume it’s a vegetable, the avocado is actually a fruit. And long before it became famous as the main ingredient in guacamole, it was popular with ancient cultures like the Mayans, Aztecs, and Incas for other things beyond sustenance. The Aztecs called the fruit ahutacatl, which means testicle, because the fruit grows in pairs and somewhat resembles that part of male anatomy, but also because it was believed to be a powerful aphrodisiac and fertility aid. Even today in parts of Latin America, the avocado is given at weddings as a symbol of fertility. The conquering Spanish changed the name to abocado. During Jamaica’s colonial days, the British gave it the nickname “alligator pear” for its crinkly green skin. But not all avocados are crinkly; some are smooth and they come in many different sizes and varietals. Some types of avocados can grow to up to three to four pounds while others like the hybrid strain called avocaditos, only grow to two inches long. The most popular species for culinary use is called the Hass, named after postman Rudolf Hass who first cultivated it in Southern California. E
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Photo by Veer
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