From Animal Feed to Global Superfruit: The Avocado Transformation
Exploring How Avocados Evolved from Wildlife Sustenance to a Coveted Staple Worldwide
Watan-The reputation of avocados has spread in recent years to the point of a global obsession with this fruit, as some describe it. This is attributed to its scientifically proven health benefits, the growing culture of healthy snacks throughout the day, and the marketing tricks that shape consumer perceptions.
As a result, the annual per capita consumption of avocados in the United States increased from 1.5 kilograms in 1998 to over 9 kilograms in 2023. The global avocado market reached approximately $19.27 billion in 2024 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 5.9%.
the avocado tree
The avocado tree is a perennial fruit tree with oval leaves, dating back more than 10,000 years. It belongs to the Laurales flowering plant family, which grows in tropical and subtropical climates.
The shape of the avocado fruit varies between round or pear-like with a long, slender neck. Its color ranges from green to dark purple, and it has a central seed resembling a chestnut. While fruits typically gain sugar as they ripen, the sugar content in avocados decreases with maturity.
The avocado fruit is a source of healthy unsaturated fats and contains other nutrients, including vitamin B, vitamin K, and vitamin E, in addition to significant amounts of protein, potassium, magnesium, and other important nutrients.
A Meal for Animals
Researchers believe that central-southern Mexico is the original homeland of the avocado, and that the history of this creamy fruit dates back to the period before human life in the Americas. During that time, avocado trees grew in the wild, and the fallen fruits were picked up by large mammalian animals that are now extinct, such as mammoths, armored animals, and the giant sloth.
These animals were able to consume the entire avocado fruit, but fortunately, they could not digest the seeds. While traveling long distances, the seeds were excreted and became ready to germinate. This allowed avocado trees to survive and preserve their lineage in the forests of Central America.
These large mammals became extinct around 13,000 years ago, and somehow avocado trees survived. Their fruits became a heavenly gift for the new humans who arrived in the lands of Mexico and Central America, especially since they are considered a nutritious and satisfying meal. By around 500 BCE, early farmers began cultivating seedlings of these trees instead of leaving the process entirely to nature.
Avocado Across Civilizations
The avocado fruit held great importance among the indigenous populations of Central America and became part of the cultural heritage of pre-Columbian civilizations such as the Aztec, Caral, Moche, and Maya. The Aztec people (a civilization in Central America that flourished in central Mexico) called the avocado fruit “Ahwakatl,” which means “fruit of fertility” in the Aztec Nahuatl language.
The name likely derives from the appearance of the avocado fruit or refers to its widely recognized properties as an aphrodisiac. The Aztecs believed it provided strength to those who consumed it and considered the avocado tree sacred. In Maya civilization, the 14th month (Kankin) of their calendar was represented by the avocado symbol. Additionally, one of their most successful rulers, Pakal the Great, was buried in a coffin adorned with images of avocado trees.
Avocado… An Identity Crisis
The avocado played an important role in the exploration journey of Central America in the 16th century. When the Spanish colonizers arrived on the shores of Mexico in 1519, the Spaniards documented the uses of the avocado. The indigenous people presented it to their rulers “as a tribute,” used it as currency in commercial transactions, and also noted its use as animal feed, a remedy for bruises, hair split ends, and in fabric printing.
Evidence suggests that the Spaniards loved this fruit, admired its flavor, and reintroduced it to Europe and all the places they migrated to. However, they did not accept its original name. They modified the Aztec word to a more easily pronounceable term, “Aguacate.”
In the 17th Century, the Name Changed Again
In the 17th century, the name changed once more when avocados became popular among the English living in Jamaica, who called them “crocodile pears” due to the fruit’s exterior appearance resembling crocodile skin.
Neither the old names nor “crocodile pear” were attractive names suitable for the fruit’s future. Therefore, after the successful cultivation of avocados in the United States starting in 1833, marketing efforts by American farmers, with the approval of the U.S. Department of Agriculture in the early 20th century, succeeded in changing the fruit’s name to its currently known name, “avocado.”
The new name was promoted in the magazines “New Yorker” and “Vogue” as a distinctive fruit befitting the aristocratic class. This helped it become ingrained in the public’s imagination as a luxurious and distinctive food for the first time, and the marketing campaigns continued in the same vein.
Bloody Avocado
Several studies have linked avocado consumption to following a healthy diet in general, which has enhanced the world’s obsession with avocados and created unprecedented demand among its farmers in Mexico, the world’s largest producer of avocados, recently dubbed “green gold.”
This lucrative trade has come under increasing control by Mexican drug cartels, forcing farmers to carry weapons. Due to the violence generated by this trade and the unsafe distances that avocados travel to reach consumers, some refer to it as “bloody avocado.”
Avocado in the Diet
There are many ways to incorporate avocado into the daily diet. Ripe fruits can be sliced over toast or in salads, flavored into ice cream, used instead of mayonnaise, or as a butter substitute in baked goods. They can be grilled, fried, turned into cream for decorating cakes, or simply sliced and sprinkled with a little fresh lemon juice and a few flakes of dried chili pepper.
Other uses include pressing the fruits to produce avocado oil. Avocados also possess some medicinal properties. It is believed that the leaves can be boiled to treat diarrhea, the pulp is used to treat wounds, and the seeds can be crushed and used as a filling for toothaches.
