Avocado
Hello, dear friends!
True to millennial form 😅 I'm focusing on the avocado today. Not only because it's delicious (hype-aside), but because it actually has a pretty interesting history and background.
For the sake of completeness, let's hash out the more pop culture-y stuff about it first. Avocado toast is certainly NOT a new thing, it's been around for literally centuries, at least in countries it's indigenous to. Exactly who popularised this dish (can you call three ingredients a dish? Yes - in my book) is unclear. The consensus falls between Cafe Gitane in NYC or Gwyneth Paltrow. Now, I've enjoyed Gitane on many an occasion and avocado isn't the first thing that leaps to mind (more like the bread? the merguez sausages? the puddles of egg yolk?). But between you and me, I know where my allegiance lies.
To be sure, Australians have been eating this thing since vegemite-on-toast, so why it's enjoyed a boon in popularity and profits is strange... Especially given that the hot zone centralises in Nolita, NYC. Okay, it's not totally a mystery, because the cafes that populate the area basically make it Little Australia. But there's no denying that the craze has saturated the city, which is crazy to me because you can make one at home for at least half-price.
Of course, that didn't stop me from ordering the beautiful work of art that is above.
Just as each cafe's avo concoction is different, so too are the different varieties of avocado. Persea americana holds the existence on record (a whopping 10,000 years ago, before mass cultivation of wheat, let alone invention of toast). Avo pits found at burial sites have been used as evidence of the Mayan belief that ancestors were reborn as trees. Others exist. In fact, there are literally hundreds of varieties, from the purplish-black Hass to the pale green Criollo. They have different nutritional profiles as well, and probably different mouth-feel, tasting notes, etc. (I wouldn't know because I've only tried a single kind).
Avocado, by the way, goes by many names. Back in Hong Kong it's known as 牛油果 but in the mainland it's called 鳄梨. Respectively, they translate to butter fruit and alligator pear. Both kiiiinnd of make sense - firstly the avocado has a buttery taste, and you might attribute the reptilian reference to its bumpy skin (at least, in some varieties). But this is half correct. The "alligator" is a corruption of the 17th century English avogato, which stemmed from the Spanish aguacate, from the Aztec āhuacatl...
Bottom line, names can be difficult. But also interesting! because āhuacatl means testicle and
According to Mexica myth, the avocado fruit gives strength. A fruit's form contributes to its properties: the outer form is a result of inner forces. The avocado is shaped like a testicle, and it can therefore transfer that strength to whoever eats it.
- Landon, AJ (2009), quoted in Gutierrez and Villanueva 2007
With all due respect to the Aztecs, I'd like to see a fruit shaped like an ovary or the uterus (one of the strongest muscles in the body) being exploited for mystical strength purposes.
So what I really want to get down to is the nutritional benefit of eating avocado. After decades of unfair treatment from the anti-fat movement, it has now reached the other end of the spectrum, being lauded as a superfood (I hate that term) because of its monosaturated fat content. It consistently tops the charts of "Healthiest Foods in the World" lists. But let's remember that the war against saturated fats has been rocky at best, and guys! avocados have sat fats! Nuts have sat fats!
Now, I don't hold a degree in nutrition, so do not take the following as nutritional guidelines, but I hope it'll be interesting to stay informed.
A review on the Hass avocado found several clinical studies in the late 1990s that reported a positive effect of eating one avocado (more or less) on blood lipids. That is, an avocado-enriched diet seems to lower LDL-cholesterol and up HDL-cholesterol. But these studies looked at very few subjects, and the study duration was extremely short.
A much larger study that spanned over seven years and included over 17,000 adults found that avocado consumers were associated with more fruit and vegetables, dietary fibre, vitamins and mineral intake without significant differences in calorie intake. By contrast, BMI and waist size were lower, and the association with metabolic syndrome (such as diabetes) was lower in avo-eaters. This sounds great, but actually only 2% of the subjects were avo-eaters. Another issue is whether the differences in nutrient profiles of these two groups are really appreciable on health over a long period of time. Does a 6g increase in monosats really have a large impact on health?
Now there have been studies claiming links between avocado consumption and vitamin A absorption (or bioavailability, which means how much the nutrient is incorporated into macromolecules from your blood) and working memory (or the catch-all term, cognition).
Full disclosure, The HASS Avocado Board funded these studies, so that's something to keep in mind. While I remain sceptical, wouldn't it be great if we could supplement diets around the world that are at risk of malnutrition? And wouldn't we want to feel good about our food choices?
Personally, I enjoy the avocado first and foremost for its nutty flavour, and its purported nutritional benefits second. While I'm optimistic that more research will validate this decision even more, I'm not holding my breath. I'm taking a large bite (as seen below).
One more interesting thing about the avocado is it's political might. Prices of avos have soared after speculation that import tariffs on Mexican goods into the US could fund a border wall. So consider that when you're wondering why avocados are crazy expensive now.
Avocado toast, a not-recipe recipe
Serves: 1
Slice of toast
Handful of cherry tomatoes, sliced
One avocado (I used teeny tiny ones from Trader Joe's)
Paprika, salt and freshly cracked pepper
Toast bread. While that's happening slice the avocado (using a cutting board, you loon), and cut up the flesh into small-ish chunks. Slice the tomatoes and season with a pinch of salt, set aside.
To assemble, use a fork to mash the avocado straight onto the toast. I like to scrape lines on to catch pockets of olive oil or feta (optional). Add the tomatoes and season to taste.
Further reading:
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