Avocados may have originated in South America, but it is Africa that is cashing in on the world’s love of avocados. In 2017, Kenya overtook South Africa as Africa’s largest avocado exporter. Before the leap, South Africa was fourth after Peru, Chile and California as the world’s exporters of the popular Hass avocados.
Where did avocados originally come from?
The avocado (Persea americana) originated in south-central Mexico, sometime between 7,000 and 5,000 B.C. But it was several millennia before this wild variety was cultivated.
What country are avocados native to?
Avocados are native to Mexico and Central America but are now grown in many different regions across the globe. They take a significant amount of resources to cultivate, since an avocado tree takes between three and five years before it begins bearing fruit.
Are avocados indigenous to South Africa?
Exactly how early the avocado reached South Africa is unknown. One opinion is that avocados were introduced into the country through settlers coming from the West Indies and other Dutch colonies after 1652. Supporting this theory is the fact that most of the earlier species were all seedlings of the West Indian race.
Where does avocado come from in Africa?
Kenya and South Africa lead the pack among the African states that barrage the global market with their produce. The single most important market is the European Union of which France is the leading country among those that buy Kenya avocados, South Africa and the rest of the countries.
Does avocado mean testicle?
When the Aztecs discovered the avocado in 500 BC, they named it āhuacatl, which translates to “testicle.” It is likely that the texture, shape, and size of the fruit, as well as the way it grows in pairs, inspired the name of the avocado.
Why are avocados called pears?
Regional names
The fruit is sometimes called an avocado pear or alligator pear (due to its shape and the rough green skin of some cultivars). The Nahuatl āhuacatl can be compounded with other words, as in ahuacamolli, meaning avocado soup or sauce, from which the Spanish word guacamole derives.
What country eats the most avocados?
The highest levels of avocado per capita consumption was registered in the Dominican Republic (X kg/year), followed by Colombia (X kg/year), Mexico (X kg/year), the United States (X kg/year) and Indonesia (X kg/year), while the average per capita consumption of avocado was estimated at X kg/year in 2015.
Why Avocados are not good for you?
Over the past six months avocados have become good for almost everyone, because it’s been a dry six months and avocados contain a lot of moisture,” Niazov says. However, she adds, they’re not suitable at all for cancer patients, because the avocado’s moisture comes from a very fatty and heavy source.
Is Avocado man made?
In fact, without deliberate cultivation by humans, avocados are small, fibrous, large-pitted, and yield only a tiny layer of that creamy green flesh we all know and love. It’d easily take ten wild avocados to get the equivalent flesh of one Hass, if not more.
What is the best tasting avocado?
Hass avocado is perhaps one of the most famous avocado types and considered by many to be the best. The flavour is quite intense and the flesh is very creamy, perfect for guacamole.
What is the lifespan of an avocado tree?
Avocado trees have a long life-span and keep on producing fruit for many decades after reaching maturity. A Hass avocado tree planted in 1926 is still fruiting, and avocado trees growing in the wild in Mexico have been known to live as long as 400 years.
What is the difference between Hass Avocado and Fuerte?
Fuertes are less oily that other avocados, but the flavor is very rich and nutty. … Fuerte avocados were once the top variety, but were displaced in the 1930’s by the newer Hass variety. Hass has a thicker, bumpy skin that can be rolled and handled without as much risk to damage.
Do avocados grow in West Africa?
Today, Ghanaian avocados are widespread throughout the forest regions of the country. They are not commercially produced, and are instead grown by smallholders, scattered amongst cocoa and other farms, or grown in home gardens, as they are easily adaptable to the hot and humid climate.
What part of Mexico do avocados come from?
Mexican avocado production is concentrated in Michoacán state in west central Mexico. Accounting for 92% of the country’s production of the crop, Michoacán leads the world in avocado production, with approximately 106,000 hectares (260,000 acres).
Is it OK to eat avocado a little brown?
Dark, stringy flesh
An avocado that’s ready to eat has light green flesh. A rotten one has brown or black spots throughout the flesh (2). Yet, an isolated brown spot may be due to bruising, rather than widespread spoilage, and can be cut away. … If the fruit looks good otherwise and doesn’t taste off, it’s fine to eat.