| Avocado Fruit Facts and Information | |
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Availability by variety |
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Avocado, also alligator pear, common name for a tree native to tropical America,
and for the fruit of this tree. The fruit is a greenish, thick-skinned drupe,
similar in size and shape to a large pear.
When ripe, the flesh has the consistency of firm butter and a faint nutlike flavor. It has a high fat content, containing 10 to 20 percent oil, and is rich in protein. In the United States avocado is popular as a salad vegetable, and in the tropics it is often used in soup. The tree is extensively cultivated in the southern United States and California. How to Store: To ripen, keep avocados at room temperature for three to 10 days. To speed ripening, place avocados in a brown paper bag, or use a fruit ripening bowl. Ripe avocado can be stored in the warmest part of the refrigerator for several days. Basic Nutritional Facts · "California Avocados Commission" · High Fat content (10 to 20% oil) · High Protien content · Sodium-free · Cholesterol-free Detailed nutritional informatin can be found by searching the USDA Nutritional Database . Enter "Avocado" (no quotes) as the keyword and select the link and report of interest. Scientific classification: The avocado tree belongs to the family Lauraceae. It is classified as Persea americana. |
