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Avocados

While some people refer to avocados as fruits and some people say they’re a vegetable, avocados (Persea americana) are actually considered berries. They’re a member of the Lauraceae plant family, which also includes the cinnamon tree.

Avocados are native to Mexico and Central America, but they are cultivated in many areas of the world, including North America.

In the United States, California is the top producer of avocados and is home to more than 5,000 avocado farms, which generate over 400 million pounds of avocados each year

Where did guacamole come from? 

Although guacamole originated there, Mexico is not the only place to grow native avocados. 

That said, Mexico is one of the largest producers of avocados, supplying 32% of the world total. 

The Hass avocado, the one you mostly see in grocery stores, was not the kind the Aztecs used. It dates back to just the 1920s, when a postman bought regular avocado seeds, planted them, grafted a few varieties together, and one of the resulting seedlings yielded a totally new variety: the large-ish avocado we know today as the Hass (named after the postman himself, Rudolph Hass). Gracias, Rudy. 

Here’s a fun avo fact: the oldest avocado pit ever found is 9,000 to 10,000 years old and was discovered in the Coxcatlan Cave in Puebla, Mexico. 

More fun stats: there are more than 500 types of avocados all over the world, and some avocado trees are known to thrive for hundreds of years.

We love your Hass. And so does the world: they’re 95% of avocados consumed today.

Sources

The Most Authentic Mexican Guacamole Recipe - My Latina Table

The History of Guacamole & All About the Avocado – Familia Kitchen

7 Benefits of Eating Avocados, According to a Dietitian

Ingredients 

First Recipe

2 ripe avocados

1/4 onion finely chopped

1 jalapeno finely chopped (optional)

1/4 cup Cilantro finely chopped

1-2 teaspoons of lime juice

salt to taste

1-2 tomato finely chopped

Second Recipe

2 Avocados

2 teaspoons sour cream/toum 

½ cup salsa (Herdez) 

1-2 tsp chili powder

1-2 tsp  onion powder

1-2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp cayenne 

Salt

Black pepper (optional) 

Special Equipment 

Real real traditional - molcajete 

What to do when you don’t have a molcajete

World Level 

1

Steps 

Peel the avocado and remove the core.

Mash the avocado in a molcajete until it reaches your desired consistency

Add the onion, jalapeno, cilantro and tomato and mix well.

Add lime juice and salt to taste.

And? 

Peel avocado

Add sour cream/toum 

Add salsa

Add chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne, salt, pepper 

Combine, taste, add more of anything