the.com/avocado
a berry so rich it convinced millennials to skip homeownership entirely
means A pear-shaped fruit with creamy green flesh and a single large pit, eaten as a vegetable and prized for its buttery richness.
from From the Spanish aguacate, a reshaping of the Nahuatl (Aztec) word ahuacatl. That word also meant 'testicle' — a nod to the fruit's shape and habit of dangling in pairs. Spanish speakers nudged ahuacatl toward aguacate, partly under the pull of avocado, an older Spanish word for 'lawyer,' giving us a happy accident of a name. English borrowed that 'lawyer' version. The folk garbling didn't stop there: English speakers also turned it into 'alligator pear,' charmed by the rough, leathery skin.
- botanically
- technically a single-seeded berry
- loner tree
- needs a specific moth that's now extinct
- toxic gift
- the pit and skin can poison birds
- slow ripener
- won't soften until picked from the tree
- name origin
- from an Aztec word for testicle
hass avocado — patented 1935 by rudolph hass in california, now 80% of us commercial supply
michoacan mexico avocados — world's largest producer with 1.6 million tons annually as of 2023
california avocado commission — established 1978, represents 3,000+ growers in ventura and san diego counties