Is "avocado" a fruit or a vegetable?
If you ever wondered, yes an "avocado" is a fruit and 4 reasons that make it a fruit is:
One, an "avocado" is a Persea, which is a genus of about 150 different evergreen trees that belong to the laurel family (Lauraceae). This region is known for its fruit, and the avocado is the best known member.
Two, like all other fruit, avocados grow in tropical or temperate climates.
Three, the name "avocado" also means fruit. Basically a large berry.
Four, avocados go well with desert items like other fruit. You can add it to ice cream, or puree it with sugar and milk to make a desert drink.
The "avocado" originated in south-central Mexico around 7,000 B.C. There are seven different varieties of avocados grown in California. The Hass, by far is the most popular kind of avocado accounting for 95% of the total crop. The California Hass avocado is most popular because of its creamy texture and rich flavor. avocados are not a vegetable, they are a fruit. avocados are sodium and cholesterol free with only 5 grams of fat per serving, mostly mono-unsaturated fat.
Once a luxury food item eaten only by royalty, avocados are now enjoyed by everyone. Brazilians like to add avocados to their ice cream, while the Filipinos like to puree their avocados with sugar and milk to make a desert drink. avocados are available year round and California is the leader in avocado production, producing 90% of the nations avocados. San Diego county is considered the avocado capital in America, because it produces 60% of all avocados grown in California. There are 7,000 "avocado" groves in California and a single Californian "avocado" tree can produce around 500 avocados (200 pounds of fruit) a year.
Most avocados darken when they are ripe. Also most avocados when ripe, yield to pressure. Look for fruit that is average to large, oval-shaped and heavy. To prepare an avocado, slice it open and remove the seed, then peel the skin from the flesh. The texture of the flesh should be silky smooth and the color of the flesh should be a rich green color. Like other fruit, avocados have different varieties available as certified organic fruit.