wednesday, july 2nd, 2008

In more conservative times (present American presidential administration not included), it was possible to destroy a reputation through the seemingly innocent act of purchasing an avocado. It was long believed that the prickly skinned fruit with the silky green interior had the power to induce sexual prowess, and when its very name, not to mention its seductively creamy texture, is ahuacatl, or testicle, in Aztec, it’s not hard to see why,

It took an aggressive public relations campaign to dispel the racy reputation of this luscious fruit but once the avocado was accepted by a more open minded public, it found a warm, secure spot in the consumer’s heart that has never wavered. The fact that over 50 million pounds of guacamole is consumed on Super Bowl Sunday alone is proof enough that we love our avocados and are willing to overlook its slightly nefarious past.

Native to Mexico, Central and South America, there is evidence of avocado cultivation dating back 7000 years. Spanish explorers documented the presence of avocado trees from the very northern reaches of Mexico to the southern tip of Peru.

When Hernando Cortez arrived in Mexico City in the early sixteenth century, he documented that the avocado was a staple of the native diet. In 1526 Fernandez de Oviedo, historian to the Spanish conquistadors, writes eloquently about the avocado trees he saw growing throughout Columbia, "In the center of the fruit is a seed like a peeled chestnut. And between this and the rind is the part which is eaten, which is abundant, and is a paste similar to butter and of very good taste."

Spanish explorers discovered that the seed of the avocado yields an inedible milky white substance that turns a muddy red when exposed to air. They used this substance as ink and documents written in avocado milk still survive today.

The Spanish were not the only population smitten with the avocado. The English also held it in high regard. W. Hughes, physician to King Charles II of England, wrote of the avocado after he was first introduced to it on a visit to Jamaica, "It is one of the most rare and pleasant fruits of the island. It nourished and strengthened the body, corroborating the spirits and procuring lust exceedingly."

In the 18th century, European sailors called the avocado midshipman’s butter since it was used as a spread on hardtack biscuits.

The physician and judge Henry Perrine first introduced avocado trees to Florida in 1833 but it did not become a popular crop there until the early 1900s.

Young Charles Delmonico and Ranhofer, who called the fruit the alligator pear due to the prickly texture of its skin, first introduced New York to the avocado in 1895.

The judge R.B. Ord of Santa Barbara planted the first successful crop of avocado trees in California in 1871. One of these, the oldest known avocado tree, is found on the University of California campus in Berkeley.

In 1892, the Los Angeles native Juan Murrieta cultivated a thick skinned avocado from Atlixco, Mexico in California and from these first seedling trees came many of the varieties of successful commercial avocado crops cultivated today.

In 1911 Frederick O. Popenoe, owner of the West Indian Gardens of Altadena, California, sent Carl Schmidt to Mexico (Mexico City, Puebla, and Atlixco) to search for the heartiest varieties of avocado varieties. Only one of the trees planted in California upon his return survived the California freeze of 1913. It was thus named Fuerte, or strength in Spanish, as it proved itself to be adaptable in a variety of temperatures.

This single Fuerte tree established California’s booming avocado industry and inspired Charles Schmidt to write, "Two years later came the big freeze. In the spring when we began to take stock of damage, it was the Fuerte that came through and it was the only avocado that survived. It thus proved itself adaptable to our temperatures."

There are over 80 varieties of avocados with the Hass (often misspelled haas) being the best selling avocado in America. It was planted in the late 1920s by Rudolph Hass, a postman who used all of his savings to buy 1 1/2 acres of land in La Habre Heights, CA land to plant an avocado grove after reading a magazine article about avocados with an accompanying illustration of the tree with dollar bills hanging form it.

He purchased several trees from A.R. Rideout, of Whittier, California, an innovator and avocado pioneer. Hass planted the trees and hired the professional grafter Mr. Caulkins who advised Hass to plant three seeds from the Fuerte avocado in the same hole and remove the two weakest growths from each after they sprouted. The seeds from strongest trees were then replanted in threes again and the strongest tree, the Hass avocado, unique because it is the only avocado variety that grows year round, was born.

Hass patented the tree in 1935, making it the first tree patent ever, and while Hass only received $5000 in royalties from the patent, he did have the first successful grove of Hass avocado trees in California. He found a ready market in the wealthy enclave Pasadena, where chefs insisted on the Hass variety after tasting it. Every Hass avocado sold today is descended from Rudolph Hass’s original tree, which died of root rot in 2002.

The avocado is a member the Laurel family, which also includes the bay laurel and cinnamon tree. A single avocado tree produces up to 400 pieces of avocados per season and while the fruit must ripen on its tree before being picked, it will not soften on the branch. This enables growers to essentially use their trees as storage devices, harvesting their crops only when they are ready to send them to market.

An individual medium sized avocado contains 300 calories and at 30 grams, is 22% fat, but it is the healthier monosaturated fat that speeds up the metabolic rate. Avocados are an excellent source of insoluble and soluble fiber and with their creamy smooth texture, are a good first food for babies.

The avocado has come a long way since the days when it held a prime spot in the seedy underbelly of the culinary world. Succulent in its heady intensity, the silky fruit with its midnight robe of prickled velvet is now the darling of consumers everywhere who are willing to look beyond its shady past to see the stunning fruit in all its electric green glory.

For this recipe, I’ve used the avocado as a bowl to contain a refreshing, and refreshingly simple, crab and mango salad studded with sparks of fire thanks to minced jalapeno tempered by the balance of sweet muskmelon. My favorite words when describing a summer recipe are simple, fast and refreshing and this appetizer, or light lunch, delivers on all three. I’ll save the labor-intensive requirements of a cassoulet as a remedy for the bite of a cold November day. This festive little recipe is remedy of another kind; the answer to the question, “What can I make in ten minutes flat that will sate the appetite on a hot summer’s day?” 

Crab Mango Stuffed Avocados

1 mango, peeled, seeded, diced small
1/4 musk melon, peeled, seeded, diced small
1 jalapeno, ribs removed, seeded, minced finely
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
juice of one freshly squeezed lime, plus additional lime wedges for garnish
16 ounces lump white crab meat, picked through
4 avocados, cut in half lengthwise, pits removed

1. In a medium sized bowl combine diced mango and musk melon along with the minced jalapeno, chopped cilantro and crumbled bacon. Toss with the lime juice.

2. Add the lump crab and mix gently until everything is fully incorporated.

3. Place two avocado halves upward on a small plate. At the center of each avocado, scoop a mound of crab mango salad. Repeat process with three additional plates. Serve with lime wedges.

Yield: 4 servings of two avocado halves each