Avocado

The avocado is a Central American fruit native to Mexico. Its cultivation was recorded by early Spanish explorers from Mexico to Peru. In 1601 it was introduced to Southern Spain, and in 1650 it was introduced to Jamaica. It was first registered in Florida in 1833, and in California in 1856.

It has also been discovered growing wild in South America and the West Indies and has recently spread to many other tropical countries such as Hawaii, the Philippines, Cuba, Sri Lanka, and India.

It is unknown when avocado was first introduced to India, but it is thought to have arrived from Sri Lanka about 75 to 100 years ago on India’s south and west coasts. Avocado was first imported from Sri Lanka and planted in Western India in 1941 at the Ganeshkhind Fruit Experiment Station in Poona.

Avocados (Persea Americana Mill) are nutrient-dense fruit. It is a subtropical evergreen fruit. Butter fruit is another name for it. Avocados are single-seeded berries.

Avocados are grown commercially in Mexico, Chile, the Dominican Republic, Indonesia, the United States of America, Colombia, Peru, Kenya, Brazil, Rawanda, and China. Avocado production in the world is 45 lakh metric tonnes per year, with 6 lakh hectares under cultivation. The avocado is Mexico’s most popular crop, accounting for 28% of global demand.

Avocado is grown in Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Sikkim, among other places in India. For the domestic market, the production of this fruit is estimated to be 500–1000 mt per year. In India, there is currently a small amount of land dedicated to avocado cultivation. However, since it provides nutritional protection to the people, there is a lot of room for it to be grown in the region. This fruit crop can be planted on a large scale in the near future.

Avocados have twice as much energy as bananas. Fat, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, calcium, chloride, and ascorbic acid are all abundant in it. Per 100 g of the edible part, it contains 245 calories, 26.4 percent fat, 368 mg potassium, 10 mg calcium, 38 mg phosphorus, 35 mg magnesium, 11 mg chlorine, and 16 mg ascorbic acid. Protein content ranges from 1-4 percent. Avocado is also high in vitamins A and B.

Avocado pulp has a buttery consistency and has a nutty flavor. It has the fun fragrance of a tender coconut’s inner shell. After one or two tastes, a person becomes accustomed to the flavor and begins to enjoy it. Its pulp is used as a filling or spread for sandwiches, as well as in ice cream and milkshakes.