Food

Food Information

Vegetables

AVOCADOS

The avocado is a tropical fruit native to Central America. Early in thesixteenth century it was introduced to Europe by the returning Spanish explorers.Today, avocados are grown in all areas of the world that have frost-freeclimates similar to that of their original habitat.

The United States is the world's number one commercial producer of avocados.It is a major cash crop in Southern California and southern Florida, andto a much lesser degree in Texas. California has the lion's share of theproduction, about 80 percent, and their avocados are available twelve monthsof the year. The Florida avocados have an eight month season. They are notavailable during the months of March, April, May, and June. Whether yourlocal supermarket offers California or Florida (or both) avocados dependson the time of year and your geographical location.

The avocado has a unique flavor and texture. All the other tree fruits haveeither a tart, tart-sweet, or sweet flavor and a juicy texture. The avocadohas a bland flavor and a buttery texture. The avocado looks like a hugegreen olive and, like the olive, has a single hard pit. It is very firmwhen immature and is rich in oil when it reaches full ripeness.

There are at least two dozen varieties of avocados grown commercially inthe United States. They come in assorted sizes and shapes. One Californiaavocado is petite, weighing only a few ounces, while some Florida varietiescan weigh as much as three pounds.

Depending on the variety, the immature fruit comes in every possible shadeof green. Some are smooth and shiny, others are dull and have pebble-grainedskins. Some varieties retain their original green color as they ripen. Inothers, as the fruit ripens the green changes to bronze reddish purple,or even jet-black. Some varieties are almost round, but for the most partavocados are pear-shaped. Hence they are often called avocado pears.

Nearly all other tree fruits have to be harvested at a certain point ofmaturity lest they get too ripe to ship to market or even for immediateconsumption. However, the avocado never reaches full maturity unlessit is severed from the tree. In some California varieties the harvest canbe delayed for months on end without affecting the flavor or the qualityof the fruit. This ability to warehouse the fruit right on the tree is aboon to the growers because it provides for an orderly flow to market andextends the length of the season.

There are two distinct strains of avocados. The varieties grown in Californiaare offshoots of the original Mexican and Guatemalan avocados. Those grownin Florida are derived from the West Indian avocados. Since the soil, amountof moisture, and climate of Southern California differ from that of southernFlorida, the varieties that thrive on the West Coast don't do nearly aswell on the East Coast, and vice versa.

While the avocado from either area is a quality product, there are significantdifferences in size, texture, and flavor. The Florida avocados offer advantagesin size and often in price. They are usually at least twice as big as thosefrom California and nearly always less costly. The smaller, costlier Californiaavocados have more of the desired nut like flavor and a richer, creamiertexture than the more watery Florida fruit. A California avocado is to aFlorida avocado as ice cream is to ice milk. However, if you prefer icemilk, you may also prefer the Florida avocado because of its lower caloriecount.

At full ripeness, the California avocado is not quite as perishable as thefully ripened Florida fruit. A very ripe, unbruised California avocado usuallycuts fine and shows no discoloration. A very ripe, unbruised Florida avocadosometimes cuts dark.

Until very recently, avocados sold at the retail produce counters were alwaysvery firm. The newest wrinkle in marketing avocados is to offer those thatare ripe and ready to serve, a concept that has been promoted by the CaliforniaAvocado Commission. Participating retailers, including most of the majorretail food chains, report significant increases in sales. However, thereis probably a comparable increase in the number of bruised, discolored,and even black avocados that have ended up in consumers' garbage cans.

I advise against the purchase of ready to serve avocados because the ripefruit is far too fragile to survive the rigors of a self-service methodof marketing. They are too often thumbed and squeezed until they are badlybruised by well-meaning but overzealous shoppers. The bruised area of anavocado will discolor and have to be cut away.

I recommend purchasing firm avocados and ripening them at home by leavingthem at room temperature for a few days. If you want to speed upthe ripening process, put the avocado in a brown paper bag along with afresh tomato and put the bag in the warmest area of your home. This combinationof warmth and the natural ethylene gas exuded by the avocado, and especiallyby the tomato, could cut the ripening time in half.

To test for ripeness, cradle the avocado in the palm of your hand. If ityields to the slightest and gentlest pressure, it is ready to serve, ifit is a Florida avocado. If it is of the California variety, give it anextra day. Too many avocados are cut and served before they have reachedfull maturity and flavor. Once the fruit is cut, the ripening process isterminated. So make sure that it does have the slight yield before you cutit.

Avocados are not only flavorful, colorful, and nutritious but are also blessedwith versatility. They can be sliced, diced, pureed, or served on the half-shell.They are flavorful enough to serve alone, but they also blend well whenserved with fresh fruit, salad greens, cottage cheese, cold meats, and especiallyseafood. A fully ripe avocado has the consistency of soft butter and makesa delicious and colorful sandwich spread. The increase in the popularityof Mexican foods has increased the usage of avocados. Their bland flavorhelps take the sting out of the fiery dishes.

A cut avocado, like a sliced peach or banana, will darken and discolor whenexposed to air. Sprinkling the exposed surfaces with fresh lemon or limejuice will retard this discoloration. Try to use a cut avocado as soon aspossible. In the interim, cover the exposed surfaces with plastic film.If you cut the avocado in half, don't remove the pit until ready to serve.

Avocados are tropical fruits and don't like cool temperatures. Never puta firm avocado in your refrigerator. At best it won't ripen properly, at
worst its flesh will turn black. A black-skinned avocado, however, is ahallmark of quality. The California Hass variety is an ugly duckling thathas a dull, pebble-grained green skin when it is immature. As it ripens,the color of the skin turns to jet-black. This least attractive varietyis by far the finest-flavored avocado available. When you see this Hassvariety, remember that its ugliness is only skin-deep.

Never freeze a whole or cut avocado, but avocado puree may be frozen. Eventhough there are many recipes that call for cooking avocados, the peak flavorand texture can only be found in the raw fruit.

Before World War II, the avocado was sold only in elite fruit shops at costlyprices. Today it can be found in most supermarkets, selling at moderateprices. Annual increases in acreage and crop yield allow ample suppliesand even more modest prices.

Deamer 5/97