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Trivia Time: 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Avocados

Trivia Time: 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Avocados
November 11, 2017

You love avocados, but how much do you really know about them? Here are 10 avocado facts to make you an Avo-Know-It-All, so you can impress any avocado lover who joins you at the dinner table.

 

1. Avocados are the only fruit that can stay fully mature on the tree indefinitely.

While avocados only get soft and edible after they have been picked, they can grow to maturity and stay on the tree for weeks or even months. This is why you can enjoy fresh Avocados From Mexico any time of the year — they’re always in season!

If for some reason you need to wait to eat your avos, here’s how to slow down ripening once your avocado has left the tree.

 

2. The O.G. avocados are from Mexico.

The avocado as we know it is thought to have first been domesticated in south-central Mexico, where approximately 70% of non-grain vegetables also originated. Mexico still produces the most avocados of any country in the world — no wonder we’re so good.

 

3. Avocados have only survived to present day because of humans (and giant sloths).

This delicious green fruit has existed in one form or another for millions of years. Prehistorically, the avocado relied on enormous ground sloths that would eat the avocados whole, digest the flesh, and eliminate the whole seed somewhere far away, planting a new tree. After the extinction of these massive animals, and with only birds and other small creatures knocking avocados off the trees, it was left to humans to cultivate the avocado for our own uses. Go us!

 

4. Avocados are easier to choose, use, and store than you might think.

A simple touch test can tell you whether the avocado you want to buy is ripe and ready to eat, if the avocado slightly yields to gentle pressure then it is ready for you. Practice your avocado skills on our virtual How-To Simulator.

 

Avocado Arts & Crafts

Puppets, ornaments, garlands, you name it. Try your hand at some of our avocado art ideas, perfect for all ages.

 

5. The serving size of an avocado is 1/3 of a medium-sized one.

Don’t worry, we won’t tell anyone if you eat more.

 

6. The avocado has been a superfood since ancient times.

The avocado was extremely important among the indigenous people of ancient Mesoamerica, as the fruit provided sustenance and was believed to possess mythological powers. In ancient Maya, the fourteenth month of the calendar (K’ank’in) was represented by the glyph for the avocado, and the Aztec people believed avocado to provide strength to whomever consumed it.

 

7. Avocados are berries.

Avocados aren’t just fruits, they are technically single-seed berries, and avocado trees produce a crop every year — one year large, the next year small.

 

8. Avocados From Mexico are 100% sodium-, cholesterol-, and trans-fat-free.

While guacamole can be unhealthy if unhealthy ingredients are added and if overconsumerd, I think we can all rejoice in the knowledge that one serving of fresh avocado is sodium, cholesterol and trans-fat-free.

 

Good Facts ‘Bout Good Fats

Not all fats are created equal. Fortunately for you and your taste buds, Avocados from Mexico have good fats, an important part of a good diet. We wouldn’t have them any other way.

 

9. “Avocado” is not the original name.

An early English name for the fruit, dating back to the 17th century, was “avocado pear,” which lazy speakers misinterpreted as “alligator pear” (not exactly the most appetizing sounding name for a fruit). And due to the fruit’s alligator skin-like exterior, the name stuck until a marketing effort from American growers in the early 1900s successfully changed the name to avocado. (What will it be 200 years from now? 🤔)

 

10. Avocado farming goes back 5,000 years.

It’s believed that Mesoamerican tribes first domesticated the avocado tree (Persea Americana) 5,000 years ago, making the cultivation of avocados by humans as old as the invention of the wheel! It’s clear that this fruit never goes out of style.

BONUS AVOCADO FACT: With nearly 20 vitamins and minerals, avocados provide 11% of your daily recommended fiber, and 10% each of your daily recommended intake of Vitamin K and folate. That’s a lot of goodness in one bite!

The More You Know
You may already know that avocados can play a role at any meal — even dessert! From flourless avocado pancakes at breakfast (yes, really!) to a Mexican Buddha bowl at lunch and avocado turkey pizza for dinner, make sure you stock up on plenty of the #AlwayGood fruit because it’s good at any time of the day. And as for those desserts, check out some of our favorite sweet avocado recipes.

 

Now that you’ve gotten a taste for avocado facts, our recipes page is bursting with delicious ways to enjoy our favorite green fruit, any time, any day — and that’s a fact!

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