There are many fruits and vegetables that can make us doubt if they are really well framed. The tomato, for example, is considered a vegetable, but it is actually a fruit botanically. But, what about the avocado? What is it, fruit or vegetable?
If you consume avocado and we have just created that doubt for you, then we are going to reveal it to you, as well as other information about this food that has become fashionable.
Avocado, what is it, fruit or vegetable?
When answering this question, there are many who consider it a vegetable. However, many others say that it is a fruit. And the truth is that it is not known for sure because there is no specific decision to consider it one way or another.
We explain it to you.
Normally, foods are classified as fruit when they come from a flower of a plant and also have seeds inside. On the other hand, the vegetables would be the stems, leaves, roots, cocoons, etc. of a plant. But we must not wait for the flower to bear fruit and we can collect it.
This makes us think of avocado. Technically, by the definition we have given you, would be a fruit because:
- It comes out of a flower of a plant, specifically from the Persea americana.
- It has seed inside (that big bone).
- Now, due to its appearance, flavor, color, texture, many consider it a vegetable.
So is it fruit or is it vegetable?
If we base ourselves on the above, it would be a fruit without going into details of its appearance. Note that there are many more fruits that are not sweet or that do not have a characteristic amount of water. So the fact that it is green in flavor and color does not mean that it should be framed on the side of vegetables.
What other vegetables are actually fruits?
At the beginning of this topic we discussed the case of the tomato, which is said to be a vegetable when in fact it is a fruit. Think about it a bit. Doesn't it come out of the flower of a plant? And it has no seeds inside? So, although it is not a food considered as a fruit, it is, because it was erroneously classified as a vegetable.
But the truth is that it is not the only case. In the garden we can find more cases of vegetables that are misclassified, because they are actually fruits and meet the two requirements for it.
Thus, it is the case of aubergines, cucumbers, olives, pumpkins… All these “vegetables” are actually fruits.
El problem comes in that these are used in gastronomy as accompaniments to complement the dish with vegetables, hence they are told that they are that, although in reality it is not so.
Curiosities of the avocado that you should know
Returning to the subject of avocado, this fruit is one of the most consumed for a few years that it became fashionable. Tons of them are consumed per year in the world (We can, for example, give you the data for 2018, where only in Europe, there was a consumption of 1.100.000 tons).
But what do you know about him?
A very high-fat fruit
Don't be scared by the fat thing, because although it has a high caloric content, and is very rich in fat, it doesn't make you fat, quite the opposite. It is one of the fruits that fight obesity and overweight. And how does he do it? Well, it helps regulate the body in such a way that, at the same intake between two people (one who consumes avocados and one who does not), the first gains less weight than the second. Also, those fats are monounsaturated and have a lot of oleic acid.
A source of vitamin E
Fruits are usually allies of vitamins. But almost always these focus on vitamin C and B6. But not the avocado.
Due to its "difference", this fruit does not only have vitamin C or B6 but vitamin E. This is ideal as an antioxidant, to protect and strengthen the immune system against viruses and bacteria, and also forms red blood cells.
A very… 'masculine' name
Haven't you ever wondered why it's called an avocado? Do you know what was the origin of this name?
Well, to begin with, you should know that you are speaking another language, specifically Nahuatl, which is a Mexican language. The word avocado comes from 'ahuacatl'. But, do you really know what it means? "Testicle".
Yes, that avocado that you usually eat and hold in your hands, if we translate its name is really a "testicle".
The truth is that it is not, because we are talking about the fruit of a plant, but when they gave it the name, it is not known if they did it because of how they hang on the trees or because of the shape they have. It's all a mystery.
A slightly delicate tree
Having an avocado is not difficult, quite the opposite. But Although it grows very fast, the truth is that it has two conditions that will make you think twice about planting it.
- On the one hand, that the avocado tree only blooms in pairs. That is, if it is not next to another tree, it will not bloom.
- On the other hand, it takes 3 years to give you a fruit.
Do you understand now why it is so delicate?
Why do avocados oxidize?
Surely it has happened to you that you have cut an avocado in half and after a few hours you have seen that it has turned black, wrinkled and ugly. And of course, you don't want to eat it anymore.
This is due to, when that knife splits the avocado, it is also breaking the cell walls, which causes oxidation.
But don't worry, because you should know that adding a little lemon juice or oil is enough to prevent that from happening.
Watch out for cats and dogs
It is becoming more and more common to have a pet at home, be it a dog, cat or another. But we are going to focus on these two that are usually the ones that accompany us everywhere.
What do they have to do with avocados? Well, they are poisonous to them. Specifically, we refer to the skin of avocados; This is Toxic to both cats and dogs.
So if you have a curious or greedy animal, be very careful so that they do not ingest the skin because you might have to run to a veterinarian.
As you can see, we have already made it clear that the avocado is a fruit and you have also learned some curiosities about it. Do you know any more that are interesting? Tell us!