Europeans have known about avocados since the Spanish conquest of South America, when early Spanish explorers such as Martin Fernandez de Enciso (1470-1528) and Hernando Cortez (1485-1547) saw that these fruits were a staple in the Aztec diet. The Aztec name for it was abuacatl, or testicle, because of the fruit’s shape. Indeed, avocados had a good or bad reputation, depending on one’s point of view, for being an excellent aphrodisiac. No doubt King Charles II of England, known for his womanising, was pleased to hear his physician’s opinion of the fruit.
In 1672, W. Hughes visited Jamaica and wrote that the avocado was “one of the most rare and pleasant fruits of the island. It nourisheth and strengtheneth the body, corroborating the spirits and procuring lust exceedingly.”
USES & BENEFITS
These days the fruits have a dubious reputation for different reasons. Why? Well, an avocado can contain as many as 371 calories and over 30 grams of fat. This may sound like bad news, but diet experts say the advantages of eating them far outweigh the disadvantages of their high fat and caloric content. That’s because avocados are high in potassium, magnesium, vitamins B6, C and E and in dietary fibre.
They’re also good for lowering bad cholesterol, controlling diabetes and lowering high blood pressure since they’re cholesterol and sodium free. Pregnant women benefit immensely by eating them because the folate they contain helps prevent birth defects.
Avocado pulp, believed to be antibacterial and anti-fungal, can also be used as a balm for skin rashes and dryness. The Spanish conquistadors even found a use for the avocado seed. The milky liquid it contains turns reddish brown once exposed to the air, and it was used as a form of indelible ink when rriting important documents.
AVOCADOS IN BERMUDA
It is uncertain when avocados arrived in Bermuda. They probably came here via the West Indies, but there’s no mention of them in Lefroy’s memorials of seventeenth-century Bermuda. Harriet Susette Lloyd in her Sketches of Bermuda does mention an “alligator pear” tree she saw in St. David’s in 1829, and it’s included in Nathanial Lord Britton’s Flora of Bermuda, published in 1918.
HOW TO BEAR FRUIT
The trees grow well here and can be seen laden with fruit in the larger of our gardens. That said, their sex life is odd, and getting them to bear fruit can be tricky: the flowers of cultivars (cultivated varieties, not those originating from the wild) cannot self-pollinate; they need the transfer of pollen from another flower, usually from another tree.
What’s more, though all cultivars’ flowers open twice on two successive days, they vary in the times they shed pollen. For this reason they have been classified into Groups A and B. Group A cultivars open with a pistil (female) receptive to pollen in the morning of day one and then reopen with stamens (male) to shed pollen in the afternoon of day two. Group B cultivars, on the other hand, open with a receptive pistil in the afternoon of day one and then reopen in the morning with stamens on day two. To have a better chance of fruit, it’s best to have cultivars from each group planted within a hundred feet of each other.
Growing a tree from seed is possible but it’s a lengthy process, according to Bobby Barron of Aberfeldy Nursery. “It can take anywhere from five to 10 years to get to the fruit-bearing stage,” he explains. And the plant, he says, must be grafted with the branch of a fruit-bearing tree. The tree can grow up to 60 feet, but he suggests pruning it to 12 feet or so in order to reach the fruit. Mature fruit, by the way, does not rot on the tree, so the tree is like a natural refrigerator. He has seen trees in many different spots in Bermuda, which suggests they’re not too fussy about soil. But they are fussy about water. “Don’t use well water,” he stresses. “They don’t like it.” Bermuda: A Gardener’s Guide lists pairs of cultivars that have done well on our island and can be harvested from September to February.
RECIPES
Black Bean and Corn Salsa
Makes 5 cups
1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
1 avocado, chopped
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 medium tomato, chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 tosp. lime juice
8 small green onions, chopped (use some of the stem also)
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
Mix all the above ingredients except avocado well.
Refrigerate at least 3 hours or overnight to let flavours blend.
Add avocado just before serving.
Serve with tortilla chips.
Spicy Beef and Mango Salad
Serves 6
3 tbsp. light brown sugar
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp. lime juice, plus lime wedges for serving
1 tbsp. chili-garlic sauce
1/4 cup vegetable oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 pound sliced grilled steak
1 ripe mango, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1 ripe avocado, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch chunks
4 scallions, chopped including stalks
6 cups mixed greens
In a small saucepan, bring the brown sugar and water to boil.
Transfer to a large bowl. Whisk in the lime juice and chili-garlic sauce; let cool.
Whisk in the oil and season with salt and pepper.
Add the steak, mango, avocado and scallions and toss thoroughly with the dressing.
Add the greens and gently toss.
Transfer the salad to plates and serve with lime wedges.
Shrimp and Avocado Salad
Serves 6 to 8
1 Ib. boiled shrimp, peeled, deveined
2 to 3 avocados, chopped
4 small tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
3 green onions, chopped
2 jalapenos, seeded, chopped
Juice of 1 lime
1/2
jar (12-oz.) seafood cocktail sauce
2 tbsp. ketchup
Salt to taste
Combine shrimp, avocados, tomatoes, cilantro, green onions, jalapenos and lime juice in a bowl and mix gently.
Stir in seafood sauce, ketchup and salt.
Chill, covered, until serving time. Garnish with a whole jalapeno.
Note: if you like it hotter, leave the seeds in the jalapenos.
Cold Avocado Soup
Serves 8
1/2 14 1/2-oz. can reduced-sodium chicken broth, chilled
Juice of 2 limes
Salt and pepper to taste tsp. chili powder (optional)
Dash Tabasco sauce
Diced avocado, for garnish
Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and process until smooth.
Refrigerate until chilled.
Pour the soup into serving bowls and top with diced avocado and tomato, if desired.
