- Avocado
- Banana
- Breadfruit
- Coconut
- Coffee
- Custardapple
- Dragonfruit
- Durian
- Guava
- Jackfruit
- Jujube
- Langsat
- Longan
- Longkong
- Lychee
- Mafai
- Mango
- Mangosteen
- Maprang
- Papaya
- Passionfruit
- Pineapple
- Pomegranate
- Pomelo
- Pumpkin
- Rambutan
- Roseapple
- Soursop
- Starapple
- Starfruit
- Sugarapple
- Tamarind
- Tangerine
- Watermelon
The avocado is probably the most nutritious of all fruits. Because it is commonly used in salads it is widely considered a vegetable. This page provides some basic information and photos of avocado, and of course some tasty avocado recipes.
| Scientific name: | Persea americana Mill. |
| Synonym: | Persea gratissima Gaertn. |
| Family: | Lauraceae |
| Order: | Laurales |
| Common names: | English: Avocado, avocado pear, butter pear, alligator pear,
midshipman's butter Dutch: Avocado Spanish: Aguacate Italian: Avocado German: Avocado French: Avocat |
| Origin: | Southern Mexico and Central America |
| Distribution: | Important in Central America as a food crop. In most tropical countries avocados are now grown either for home consumption or for local markets. |
| Evergreen or deciduous: | Evergreen |
| Flowers: | The small greenish-yellow flowers are 5 to 10 mm wide. |
| Leaves: | The eaves are 12-25 cm long. |
| Fruits: | Fruits are egg-shaped or pear-shaped. |
| Climate and weather: | Requires a tropical or subtropical climates. The tree needs a climate without frost. Cannot tolerate strong winds. |
| Pollination: | Pollination by insects, usually by bees. |
| Height: | Up to 20 meters |
| Type of soil: | Can be grown on different types of soils but prefers deep well aerated soils. Avocado cannot stand waterlogging so it requires good drainage. If there is a danger of waterlogging the trees should be planted on mounds. |
| Light: | Prefers full sun. |
| Spacing (close range) | 4 meter |
| Spacing (wide range) | 10 meter |
| Propagation: | Avocados can be grown from seed but vegetative propagation by grafting is needed, as cultivars are very heterozygotous. |
| Insect pests: | Not many insect pests, but scale insects, mealybugs and mites may cause some problems. |
| Diseases: | Root rot (Phytophtora) |
| Harvesting: | The avocado fruit does get ripe on the tree. It can be picked in a hard, "green" but mature condition. After that it will ripen quickly in a few days time. |
| Chemical composition: | Avocados are very nutritious fruits with the highest energy value of all fruits. The flesh contains sugar, proteins and highly digestible oil which is very similar to olive oil. Avocados contain vitamins A, B and E. |
| Uses: | Ripe fruits are eaten fresh or used in salads. Avocado fruits are not sweet, but have a fatty flavor, and a smooth creamy texture. They have a higher fat content than other fruits. An unripe fruit is hard, but when ripe it will feel a bit soft when pressed in the palm of the hand. The flesh of ripe fruits has a typical greenish yellow to golden yellow color. |
Recipes
Avocado with Tunafish
Ingredients:
3 ripe avocados, 200 gram tuna fish, 2 teaspoons lemon juice, 1 or 2
tablespoon mayonnaise (or mayonnaise mixed with yoghurt), salt, pepper
Instructions:
Cut the avocados lengthwise in halves and remove the seeds. To avoid
discoloration treat the surface with some lemon juice. Mix the tuna
fish with salt, pepper and mayonnaise and fill it in the avocado. Refrigerate
it slightly before serving.
Simple avocado
Cut a ripe avocado lengthwise in halves and remove the seeds. Sprinkle with lemon juice, vinegar or Worcester sauce. Add salt and pepper.
