Avocados
Misunderstood, until recently
Avocado had a massive boom starting in 2010. There was avocado in everything. Avocados at Subway, avocados at Chipotle, avocados in Grocery stores; Avocados seemed to be everywhere and in everything. Why did this rough-skinned fruit become so popular in the US so suddenly? A lot of it had to do with marketing, health benefits, and I believe its color.
Avocados are nothing new. The Aztec people used them in many of their recipes of old. In 1696, a Jamaican print referred to the fruit as an “alligator pear.” Americans could not market it as an “alligator pear” because of the avocado’s non-sweet nature. It was misleading to consumers who were unaware of the difference in the fruits. Marketers then adopted the name “avocado” as a root from the Aztec name for the fruit “ahuacatl.”
Why did the Avocado drop in popularity?
Avocados themselves battled a wrongful accusation in the 1980s. As America pushed for reducing saturated fats that we put into our bodies, the anti-fat movement put avocados on the naughty list.
Avocados are full of monounsaturated fat, but the irony is that monounsaturated fat helps with heart health and reduces cholesterol. Doctors took the movement so seriously that some issued warnings explicitly stating, “do not eat avocados.”
The Climb Back Up
To fight the tremendous pushback of the public advisories, the California Avocado Commission began research into what the avocado was doing for the body. They discovered that avocados increase the absorption of lycopene in other vegetables and enhance their nutrition. They also promoted the Mediterranean diet, where people raise their fat intake and instead reduce carbohydrates. The main problem with getting people to eat Avocados was that so many people in the US didn’t know what they were or how to cook with them. The Hill & Knowlton took this problem into their own hands and created one of the most ambitious PR moves… they took to the 1992 Super Bowl to advertise avocados.
Hill & Knowlton asked NFL players to get their best Avocado recipes together and filmed them. Some PR personnel were stationed in the stadium to give out guacamole samples to sports reporters to vote on which guac was best. Hill & Knowlton gave tons of Avocado facts to the sportscasters to read off during the game. The result was a 70% increase in avocado crop sales and value over the next 12 years.
What You Should Look for in an Avocado
Hass Avocados (one of America’s best-selling avocado types) were first planted in California and are still widely distributed. These are what most people look for when they look for an avocado to buy. There are also Fuerte avocados, which have a little thinner skin and lighter color. Avocados are so loved because of the high “good fat” content mentioned above and the high potassium content. Avocados will usually run you about $.50 – $1.00 per fruit. You will want to wait until the skin on the avocado turns brown a little and is no longer rock-solid to the touch to eat them.
How Do You Open One?
There is a proper way to open an avocado that is easy and almost mess-free. First, take a butcher-style knife and sink it to the pit long ways along the fruit. Rotate the fruit around the blade until the cut meets itself all the way around. Then, twist the two identical halves opposite of each other. The pit will stay in one side, and the other side will have a divot where the pit sat. Take that same knife and hit the pit with the blade’s back corner (the part closest to your hand). When the knife sticks in the pit, you can rotate the pit, and it should pop right out and leave you with two beautiful halves, ready to slice!
What to Do With Your Fruits
Some accessible places to implement an avocado into your diet include adding some slices on a whole grain toast, salad, or wrap. Adding pieces to these already prepared foods takes very little preparation and adds texture and nutrition to your quick and simple meals.
A little more involved recipes include guacamole, a great snack if you can find some healthy chips. Avocado is also great grilled and pairs very well with lemon and lime flavors. Lemon is also beneficial when cooking avocados because it prevents the fruit from turning brown after it is cut, which can be unappetizing. I also find that well-seasoned eggs and avocado are also very good together. You can also use avocado in shakes, smoothies, or even ice cream if you want to!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dalton Childs
Student Author - Spring 2021
