The avocado, also known as "butter fruit" is a tree fruit. The name comes from the Nahuatl, the language of the original inhabitants of Mexico: the Aztecs, Toltecs and Nahua, meaning "balls" or "eggs".
A ripe avocado is softer than butter. Depending on the variety the skin is smooth or ribbed, and dark green to almost black with a relatively large seed which is removed before eating. The fruit is mostly about the size of a fist.
In addition to vitamins, Avocados contains oleic acid, Potassium and a high amount of dietary fiber.
How to prepare
Cut the fruit in half, remove the core and scoop out the soft flesh from inside the skin. It's as easy as that! You can cut the flesh into pieces or mash it.
Buyer's and storage guide
- By simply touching it with your finger, a ripe avocado feels soft at the stem and has soft, yellow-green, creamy flesh and a slightly nutty flavour.
- Do not store avocados in the refrigerator, as this may harm their after-ripening process and spoil the fruits. Kept in a cool place, avocados can be stored for up to six days.
- After cutting, the flesh discolors quickly. This can be prevented by squeezing a little lemon juice over the cut flesh.
- Do you want to speed up the ripening of an avocado? Then store it together with an apple, a pear or a banana in a paper bag. These fruits dispense ethylene gas, which stimulates the ripening of the avocado.
Serving
- Cut in half, carefully scoop out the flesh and then refill with a salad of chopped avocado, prawns or chicken
- Mashed avocado with chopped onion and garden herbs served on bread or toast or try half an avocado with lemon juice, salt and pepper
- Make a salad with capsicum and tomato
- In a soup: Avocado pieces, stirred in a broth just before serving
- Guacamole (mashed avocado, mixed with garlic, cayenne pepper and lemon juice)
