It is an age-old fruit proven to have existed in Mexico some 7000 years ago. In the sixteenth century the first expeditions to arrive on the Mexican coasts found these large, strange looking trees with big fruit hanging from their branches. It was the Spanish who introduced them to the United States, Chile and Europe, spreading their cultivation particularly along the Mediterranean coast. Originally, three very different types could be distinguished: one from the West Indies, which was enormous with oily flesh, one from Guatemala, which was medium-sized with hard skin and sour flesh and which didn�t ripen very easily, and one from Mexico, which is small and flavoursome. Nowadays, there are more than 500 varieties of this pear-shaped, woody green-skinned fruit with creamy, compact flesh, all over the world. The avocado may be found throughout the year in places as disparate as Australia and South Africa and there are round and flat ones, red ones and even violet ones, which are very different to how they originally looked.

 

An aphrodisiac fruit
It is a fruit which is high in fat, but also in protein (which is uncommon in the majority of vegetables), vitamins, salts and minerals and it is often used in the vegetarian diet as a natural substitute for the protein found in meat, eggs, cheese and poultry. However, not all avocados are the same. Generally, it is said that the lighter pieces of flesh are the best, since it is thought that they contain more nutrients, less fat and are easier to digest. Due to their shape, similar to that of a deep green pear, the Aztecs called them �ahuacatl�, meaning testicle, thus laying the foundations for their reputation as an aphrodisiac. The story goes that the Native Americans ate them because they thought that they aroused their senses and increased their libido, a reputation that stuck through the centuries.

 

When buying avocados, it is advisable to select them by pressing the top of the fruit with your thumb to check that it is not excessively soft because this would mean that the avocado was overripe. If you buy them when they are very hard, it is best to leave them wrapped in newspaper out of the fridge for a few days until they have the right texture.

 

When it comes to preparing them, it is advisable to do so immediately before serving them as prolonged contact with the air causes them to oxidise and go black just like artichokes. In order to avoid this, they can be dressed with lemon or vinegar. Where oil is concerned, they should be served with a minimal amount, because the avocado is a fruit with very oily flesh. In fact, the percentage of fat can reach up to 30% depending on the variety, which is more than in olives.

 

The avocado brings together an extraordinary taste, unusual consistency and great culinary versatility. It enables us to make simple Mexican recipes such as spreading it on warm bread with a bit of salt and lemon juice, using it as a dressing for tortillas, in cold soups, stews with a sauce based on this fruit and, naturally, guacamole, Mexico�s international dish. This is a ground paste which usually includes finely chopped onion, a few coriander leaves and sometimes chilli is added. Once the mixture is ready, it is spread on tortilla chips. If you want to make homemade guacamole but don�t have any coriander, a trick is to use parsley instead, as they are both from the same family, or if you prefer, you can use a mixture of lemon and salvia.

 

Uses in cookery
 The avocado was not really used in Western kitchens until the sixties when certain restaurant owners began to include them in their recipes. Generally, avocados go very well both with fish, either on its own or marinated, and with seafood and shellfish. 

 

Nowadays it has a wide variety of uses. It can be cut in half, the stone removed and the flesh eaten with a spoon out of the skin. To remove the stone without breaking the flesh, you prick it with the end of a knife and remove it by moving it carefully. In order to get the skin off more easily you can ease it away with a spoon from the inside.

 

It is eaten both raw and cooked, and in reality it is often cooked more like a vegetable than a fruit. It can be served in salads with anchovies and red peppers or simply with tomatoes. It can also be eaten chilled, accompanied by ham, or as a stuffing with salmon and crab. Avocado flesh is also often used like butter, dressed with lemon and oil, and it is the main ingredient in sophisticated cold soups with coconut, a typical Mexican dish, filled with prawns or cooked au gratin with king prawns.