av·o·ca·do (ave-kädo) n.

The avocado is a fruit tree native to the lands of the Carribbean, Mexico, South America, and Central America, particularly Mexico’s south Andean region. However, California in the United States has been growing the fruit for a number of years. The avocado, or Persea americana, belongs to the family name Lauraceae along with the known cinnamon, camphor, and bay laurel. The avocado in Spanish is called aguacate or palta, which could be translated directly into English as “butter pear” or “alligator pear.” This particular fruit is produced on a commercial level and is cultivated in tropical climates. The tree is wide, tall, and spreading; its leaves are egg-shaped and range in 4-12 inches in length. Its tree is self-pollinating and is often propagated through grafting to ensure quality and quantity of the fruit. The actual fruit ranges in color and in shape but commonly is green- to dark purple-skinned in color and pear-like in shape. The avocado’s outer skin may be as thick as an apple’s skin and is coarse and woody in texture. The main purpose of the skin is to protect the inner green or yellowy flesh, which is like butter in consistency and contains a rich, almost nutty flavor. The innards are of particular value because it contains about ¼ of unsaturated oil, thamine, riboflavin, and vitamin A. The single large seed in the center is either rounded or conical.

Avocados were first cultivated in tropical Central American as individual trees after the Spanish conquest. However, the fruit did not receive serious attention until about 1900. Horticulturists found that the production of grafted trees were easier to farm and allowed perpetual seeding in the orchards. After many years passed, the avocado industry began to flourish in Florida and California, as well as in South Africa, and on a smaller level in Chile, Brazil, Hawaii, Australia, and some Pacific islands. Mexico, the avocado’s birthplace, is where the fruit is massively popular. Large quantities are produced and shipped to all regions of the world annually. Unusually, Israel has become a commercial spot for the fruit along with many other Mediterranean border countries. By race, the avocado is divided three ways: Mexican, West Indian, and Guatemalan. The Mexican race is considered the most distinct of species, Persea drymifolia, and is of course native to Mexico and characterized by the anise-like odor of the leaves and by its small size (3-8 oz.). Mexican avocados are thin-skinned and rich in flavor and overall quality. The Guatemalan, native to the mountains of Central America, is slightly less frost-resistant than the Mexican and produces fruits medium to large in size. The fruit has thick, woody skin and has a ripening season opposite of the others. The West Indian—the most tropical of the races—is limited in the United States and is only re-produced in southern Florida.

*This encyclopedia entry is a paraphrase of Brittanica’s Online Encyclopedia for the “avocado.”

"avocado." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2010. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 27 Apr. 2010. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/45866/avocado>.