Short History of the Avocado

These days, almost everyone knows what an avocado is. It's the main ingredient in guacamole and avocado slices taste great in salads or on sandwiches. But how exactly did the avocado arrive and just how did it get that funny name?

Well, it all started back in the early 20th century. 1915 to be exact. That's the time when a bunch of farmers in California got together to figure out how to grow and market a new crop of fruit from Mexico, Central and South America. This fruit, the ahuacate, grew on trees that produced a pear-like fruit with dark purple-gray, rough and bumpy skin. Historical accounts have the ahuacate being cultivated since around 500 BC. Then, in the 1500s, the Spanish explorers discovered how delicious the ahuacate was and since the Aztecs treasured it, they too decided it was something special.

But, since the ahuacate had never been introduced into the United States, all ahuacate were imported from Mexico or South America, making the price extremely high. When California farmers make the decision to grow crops of ahuacate, they realized quickly that the name presented a major problem. It was hard to pronounce, especially for non-Spanish speakers. Perhaps an even larger problem was that Ahuacate was an Aztec word that meant testicle. It made sense since the ahuacate is similarly shaped and the Aztecs believed it had aphrodisiac-like qualities. But who wanted to eat a fruit whose name meant testicle?

So, the farmers sat around and discussed what to do. They knew a name change was imperative, so they worked out variations of the word ahuacate and came up with avocado. Much easier to pronounce. And for some reason, they decided that the plural form would not have an 'e', making it avocados, rather than avocadoes. The farmers even contacted the big dictionary people and had their new word added. The farmers started their own farming group, the California Avocado Association.

With the name change and the new Association, the farmers began to spread the word, however, there was some disagreement that the fruit would generate much interest because it was believed that people wouldn't want a fruit that didn't taste sugary sweet like plums, peaches or apples. But the Association members persisted. They knew how delicious and versatile the avocado was, and it was its unique flavor that made it popular in the first place. They were right in their assumption that the avocado would become very popular.

Today, we know of the health benefits of the avocado. The oil in the avocado is beneficial to the skin and the fruits are high in protein, fiber, vitamin E, potassium and folates. Plus, they taste really good and can be used to dress up meals. It's certain that the Aztecs never envisioned how popular their prized fruit would become.