Facts about Avocados
Historically avocados had a long-standing stigma as a sexual stimulant and were not purchased or consumed by any person wishing to preserve a chaste image. Avocado is also known as butter pear or alligator pear. It is also called aguacate in Spanish. The earliest known written account of the avocado in Europe is that of Martín Fernández de Enciso (c. 1470–c. 1528) in 1518 or 1519 in his book, Suma de Geografía que Trata de Todas las Partidas y Provincias del Mundo. Avocados were known by the Aztecs as "the fertility fruit". An average avocado tree produces about 120 avocados annually. In 2005, Mexico produced the largest amount of avocado which was 1,040,390 metric ton. The plant was introduced to Indonesia by 1750, Brazil in 1809, the Levant in 1908, and South Africa and Australia in the late 19th century. Avocado is sometimes called a butter pear, avocado pear. In some countries of South America such as Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Peru, and Uruguay, the avocado is known by its Quechua name, palta. The word "avocado" comes from the Nahuatl word ahuacatl ("testicle", a reference to the shape of the fruit). The first written record in English of the use of the word 'avocado' was by Hans Sloane in a 1696 index of Jamaican plants. In Chile its consumption is widespread and used as a puree in chicken, hamburgers and hot dogs, and in slices for celery or lettuce salads. Avocado fruits have a smooth, creamy, greenish-yellow flesh with an unusually high amount of fat that is primarily monounsaturated. In Portuguese it is abacate. There is 14.66g fat, 8.53g Carbohydrates, 2g protien and 10mg Vitamin C per 100g(3.5 oz) of edible parts of avocado. In Mexico and Central America, avocados are served mixed with white rice, in soups, salads, or on the side of chicken and meat. The avocado fruit is poisonous to birds in some cases, so on a practical level feeding the fruit to birds should be avoided. The fruit was the basis for the original alcoholic drink Advocaat, made by the Dutch population of Suriname and Recife. Acocado contain a high concentration of dietary fiber, vitamins and potassium. Avocados also have 60% more potassium than bananas. They are rich in B vitamins, as well as vitamin E and vitamin K. There is documented evidence that animals such as cats, dogs, cattle, goats, rabbits, rats, birds, fish, horses and especially humans can be severely harmed or even killed when they consume the avocado leaves, bark, skin, or pit. Avocado leaves contain a toxic fatty acid derivative known as persin, which in sufficient quantity can cause equine colic and, with lack of veterinary treatment, death. The symptoms include gastrointestinal irritation, vomiting, diarrhea, respiratory distress, congestion, fluid accumulation around the tissues of the heart and even death. It belongs to the flowering plant family Lauraceae. They have the highest fiber content of any fruit - including 75% insoluble and 25% soluble fiber. An avocado contains approximately 15% of fat, most of which is monounsaturated fat. Avocado is native to Mexico and Central America. The Avocado tree grows to 20 metres (65 ft), with alternately arranged leaves 12–25 centimetres long. |
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