Guacamole

courtesy of wikipedia

photographer:  B.navez

avocado fruit and foliage

quick guacamole (or, easy avocado dip)

appliances

small knife

tablespoon

fork

mixing bowl

ingredients

about 3 ripe avocados of any variety

1 tablespoon non-fat plain yogurt (alternatively, greek yogurt)

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

the juice of 1 lime (alternatively, 1 lemon)

a few tablespoons of pico de gallo

courtesy of wikipedia

photographer:  Prosthetic Head

lime and blossom growing in south spain

procedure

1.  slice your avocados in half around the pit.  separate the two halves, remove your pits, and make a number of criss-crossing slices into the inner fruit to ease removal.  then scoop out the flesh with your tablespoon into the mixing bowl.

2.  mash the avocados with a fork, then add your yogurt and other ingredients and mix well.

Enjoy!  Serve in a plate of your choice with chips or raw vegetables on the side for dipping.  Garnish with cilantro and an olive or two.

 

courtesy of DHD Multimedia Gallery

photographer: Bruno Girin

avocados in a market in santiago atitlan guatemala

variations

1.  chop and add small pieces of kalamata or canned black olives.

2.  chop and add small pieces of green olives.

3.  in lieu of pico de gallo, add a couple of diced tomatoes, chopped cilantro to taste, a few slices of chopped onion, a crushed and chopped garlic clove, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste, a few dashes of tabasco sauce. 

courtesy of wikipedia

photographer:  Ethel Aardvark

"Persea americana" (Avocado) flowers and foliage

discussion

the earliest evidence of human avocado use dates back to 10,000 B.C. found in a cave in Coxcatlán, Puebla, Mexico.  human populations were collecting wild avocados at that time, with evidence suggesting avocados first domesticated around 5,000 b.c. and avocado seeds first documented in writing in Oaxaca around 1,200 b.c. 

avocado trees held a sacred significance to the mayan comparable to cacao (as blogged in the recipe for decadent hot cocoa).  along the sides of the artistically famous sarcophagus for Mayan King Pakal, his ancestors are depicted sprouting from several trees important to that region, including the avocado and cacao plants. 

courtesy of wiki

pacal the great

reigning July 29, 615 – August 31, 683 CE

(he ate avocados)

the word 'avocado' (by the way) comes from the Nahuatl word for testicle  - ahuacatl - refering to the fruit's shape and (I guess) the way it hangs on a tree (see top photo) - and with the earliest English reference to the word, "avocado," in a 1696 index of Jamaican plants by one Hans Sloane.  avocados were known to the aztecs as a fertility fruit.  In the pre-incan city, Chan Cha, anthropologists found a water jar dating 900 a.d. shaped to resemble, they say, an avocado. 

spanish conquistadors brought avocadoes to europe in the 16th century, and thanks to mr. sloane, we know it was growing in jamaica by the 17th century.  the fruit was introduced to Indonesia in the 1700's, and over the centuries, was making its way to Brazil, South Africa, and Australia, among other locales.  avocadoes were brought to Florida and Hawaii in the early decades of the 19th century, and California, in the 1870's.  500-1,000 varieties are reported today from 3 types - Mexican, Guatemalan, and West Indian.

avocados are loaded with nutrition, including more potassium than bananas, and more protein than any other fruit.  Here is a clear web page on avocado nutrition facts, along with a video on ripeness and cutting.  i prefer to use a small knife for guacamole (but cannot make safety recommendations - the host discusses knife safety) - and as she describes, a ripe avocado will open (or twist open easily after you cut it around).  to remove the pit, I squeeze that side a little and it pops or pushes easily out. 

courtesy of wikipedia

posted by Krish Dulal

tomatoe baskets in Nepal