Yet another fruit from the Americas! First the sinful orb-the tomato-then the dirty orb-the potato-now the testicular one: the avocado! Yes, avocado in náhuatl, the language of the Aztecs is , ahuacatl, which means testicle or ball sack, a direct reference to the way avocados hang –at many times as a pair of orbs- that evidently reminded the ancient Mexicans of the male anatomy! It’s easy to see why Aztec society thought avocados were an aphrodisiac and a fertility fruit.
The delectable avocado is the butter of all fruits! Its high fat content (the fat your body needs in the form of Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids) was consumed by Europeans as they traversed in their galleons between America and Europe. This member of the oil berry family is another fruit originally grown in Mexico and Central America, as well as the northern regions of South America. The British even gave it the name of alligator pear, a direct reference to the fruit’s leathery exterior. In other parts of the world it’s referred to the American Pear, and in India they call it Butter Fruit.
In Mexico the leaves of the avocado tree are used to cook with, providing an anise-like flavor to dishes. And while many, in this part of the world, might want to add a dash of salt to avocado slices, Brazilians eat them as a dessert by adding sugar to it. In Brazil, as well as India, for example, shakes and smoothies —‘batidos’ or ‘licuados’ in Spanish— include ones made with avocado. Then there’s the famous avocado mash called guacamole, another creation of the Aztecs called ahuacamolli (‘ahua‘, which refers to the fruit and *‘molli’: which refers to ‘sauce’ in náhuatl).
So the next time you see a couple of dangling avocados hanging in your tree, let your mind rest on a very particular image and smile at nature as she offers us –with a sense of humor– the ambrosia of all fruits, the avocado.
Fiery Shrimp Cocktail with Avocados from Mexico (Serves 4 to 6)
This is a perfect dish to take along for a family potluck or for a family BBQ. It’s cool, refreshing and has enough heat to make your mouth and eyes water. You can taste the creaminess of the avocado along with the crunch of the red onion and celery. The Clamato and Ketchup rounds out the flavor beautifully. Enjoy! We sure did. Trust me, “it’s friggin good!”
“Aguacate Lindo y Querido Recipe Contest”!
Avocados from Mexico invites you to celebrate the taste of tradition with the “Aguacate Lindo y Querido Recipe Contest”! All you need to do is create an original Mexican-inspired recipe using rich and creamy Avocados from Mexico, snap some photos, name your dish, and enter your recipe using the form here.
Enter for a chance to win $500 and a trip to Houston in September for private cooking classes with Mexico’s renowned Celebrity Chef Aquiles Chavez, at his new critically acclaimed restaurant The Fisheria. Aquiles is the host of Aquilisimo and El Toque de Aquiles, two of the most watched cooking shows in Mexico, which can be seen in the US on the Utilísima network.
ALL participants can enter their recipe any time between 9:00 am ET on Monday, May 14th through 11:59 pm ET on Friday, May 25th.
