Avocado facts
- Avocado is used in both savoury and sweet dishes, though in many countries not for both.
- Mexico is the world's top producer of avocados.
- The Aztec word for avocado was ahuacatl, which means "testicle tree".
- Another name for the avocado is the "alligator pear".
- The origin of guacamole is the Aztec avocado sauce called ahuaca-hulli.
- In Philippines, Brazil, Indonesia, Vietnam, and south India, avocados are frequently used for milkshakes and occasionally added to ice cream and other desserts.
- San Diego County produces 60% of California avocados. Florida is the second main producer in the United States.
- The avocado is very popular in vegetarian cuisine, making a substitute for meats in sandwiches and salads because of its high fat content.
- Avocados have the highest protein content of any fruit.
- In Iran it is used as a rejuvenating facial cream.
- Avocados contain more potassium than bananas.
- Avocado slices are frequently added to hamburgers, tortas, hot dogs, and carne asada.
- On average, 53.5 million pounds of guacamole are eaten every Super Bowl Sunday, enough to cover a football field more than 20 feet thick.
- In the United Kingdom, the avocado became widely available in the 1960s when it was introduced by Marks and Spencer under the name 'avocado pear'.
- High avocado intake has been shown to have a beneficial effect on blood serum cholesterol levels. Specifically, after a seven-day diet rich in avocados, hypercholesterolemia patients showed a 17% decrease in total serum cholesterol levels.
- There is documented evidence that animals such as cats, dogs, cattle, goats, rabbits, rats, birds, fish, and horses can be severely harmed or even killed when they consume the avocado leaves, bark, skin, or pit.
