Although your senses tell you that avocado is a vegetable, don't believe them. Alligator pear, as avocado is also called, is a real fruit. Don't believe me? Ask any nerd. You can't make jam or jam from an avocado, it does not have the sweetness of pineapple or a pleasant citrus sourness, but, like all fruits, it is extremely healthy. Most often, avocados are eaten raw, but there are dishes that include cooking. So how do you choose, peel, and cook an avocado?
Avocado is another native of the American continent. It originally grew in Central and South America, mainly near the Andes. The Aztecs believed that it was not only tasty, but also endowed with a special power that could magically influence potency. Otherwise, why did the gods give him such a shape, similar to the testicles? Even the name of the fruit, later borrowed by Europeans, frivolously hints at this. It translates as "testicle".
The Spanish conquistadors loved the buttery texture of the avocado. They gladly took it on long sea voyages, ate it, spreading it on biscuits and even nicknamed it "midshipman's oil." The conquistadors discovered another advantage of the avocado. If you cut a bone, milky fluid will ooze out of it. It turns reddish brown on contact with air. The Spanish used avocado juice as ink. To this day, documents "written by an avocado" have survived.
Avocado is one of those fruits that ripen after being removed from the tree. Therefore, if you are not going to use it right away, take dense, "stone" fruits. They ripen perfectly at room temperature in 2-3 days. Avocados will stay in the fruit compartment of the refrigerator for up to two weeks. If you want ripe avocados, choose ones that lend themselves slightly to light pressure. If your fingers leave dents on the avocado, the fruit is in its last stage of maturity and is only suitable for preparing various puréed dishes. Pay attention to the "button" located on the avocado's neck. If the skin under it is bright green, then the pulp will be the same color, if it is brown, the pulp will be overripe, brown. Excess avocados can be frozen by initially peeling and pureing the fruit.
To peel an avocado, slice it lengthwise, starting at the sharp end, cutting the flesh to the bone. Cut by placing the fruit on the board. Then take the avocado in your hands and twirl it like a cork on a bottle, and then separate the halves. Remove the pit and sprinkle the flesh with lemon or lime juice, otherwise it will darken quickly in the air.
The creamy and buttery texture of the avocado makes it an ideal butter substitute for healthy sandwiches. Avocados are put in salads, both vegetable and fruit, it goes well with meat, especially poultry, seafood, leafy vegetables, tomatoes, hot and sweet peppers, garlic and onions, herbs and - surprise! - chocolate. One of the most famous "avocado dishes" is the puree of its pulp - the Mexican guacomole sauce. Avocados are cooked and cooked. In baking, the fruit can replace both butter and vegetable oil, making the product softer, moist and tender.
Avocados are fatty foods, but the fatty acids in these fruits are akin to those in olive oil. Nevertheless, 100 grams of fruit pulp will still contain about 160 calories. Avocados are rich in vitamins such as vitamins K, E and B vitamins (B5, B6 and B9) and essential minerals such as phosphorus, manganese, magnesium, zinc and iron.
