Avocado
Avocado (lat. Persea americana) is an evergreen fruit crop, a bright representative of the Laurel family.
History
If you believe the few archaeological data, avocados were actively cultivated even before our era (in the third millennium). Huacatl — the Aztecs so affectionately called him, which means “forest oil”.
And in literature, the first mention of this culture dates back to 1553 — it can be found in the work of Pedro Cieza de Leon called “Chronicle of Peru”.
Description
Avocado is a fast-growing evergreen tree, often growing up to twenty meters in height. The straight trunks of each tree branch quite strongly. And the length of the elliptical leaves that fall throughout the year can reach thirty-five centimeters.
As for the flowers, avocado flowers are bisexual, rather small and inconspicuous. Each flower sits securely in the leaf axils.
Avocado fruits are very bizarre single-seeded berries that can have a spherical, ellipsoidal or pear-shaped shape (for this reason the British often call avocado an “alligator pear”). Mature fruits reach a length of five to twenty centimeters, and their weight can range from fifty grams to 1. 8 kg. Each fruit has a rather tough skin. By the way, in unripe specimens it is usually dark green, but a little after ripening it begins to gradually turn black.
The oily, fat-rich flesh of ripe avocados has a pleasant yellowish-greenish or green color. And in the very center of each fruit there is a single very large seed. The pulp of ripe fruits has an incredibly delicate consistency and tastes very much like pureed greens flavored with fresh butter. And sometimes avocados have a slight nutty flavor, somewhat similar to the taste of pine nuts.
Currently, there are more than four hundred varieties of this crop. By the way, avocados have truly unprecedented productivity — from one tree you can harvest from one and a half to two hundred kilograms of fruit.
Where does it grow
Avocados have long been grown in the vast majority of subtropical and tropical areas. Most often it can be seen in Israel, Africa, Brazil and the USA.
Application
The pulp of well-ripened avocados is quite widely used in preparing a wide variety of cold dishes: it can periodically be found in sandwiches, all kinds of cold appetizers and original salads (avocado goes especially well with red fish). To prevent the fruits from oxidizing and losing their attractive appearance and delicate taste, add lime or lemon juice to dishes with avocados.
Avocado also serves as an excellent filling for vegetarian sushi, and in a number of cold dishes, these fruits become an excellent alternative to eggs and meat. And in distant Brazil, nutritious milkshakes and sweet confectionery creams are prepared from avocados.
Monounsaturated fatty acids in avocados help improve blood vessel and heart health, as well as lower cholesterol levels. An element with the interesting name glutathione acts as a powerful antioxidant, and the potassium contained in avocado is endowed with pronounced antiarrhythmic properties.
Avocado wood is often used for making furniture. In addition, it can also be used as an independent building material.
Growing
Avocados need reliable protection from strong winds and grow best in sunny areas. This plant does not tolerate drought or severe frosts. The soil intended for its cultivation must certainly be well-drained and very fertile, and when the avocado begins to bear fruit, it is important to provide it with sufficient moisture.
If the avocado grows indoors, then it must be kept in a bright place throughout the year (it should be quite cool in winter, and warm in summer). As for watering, it should be moderate.
