The Avocado

Avocados come in varieties, for instance, just like grapes. Who knew? As far back as I can remember, they were simply sold as generic avocados. They are fruits, although we usually eat them as vegetables in a savoury meal. (The Vietnamese, however, turn them into dessert in the form of a remarkably delicious milkshake.)

There are the Hass variety which is relatively small and has a rough, pebbly skin that turns from green to black when it's ripe. Then there are the Reed and Fuertes which tend to be larger, with smooth green skins.

The serious test, though, lies in the tasting! There is a difference in the texture and the flavour. The Hass is creamy and rich but still firm whereas the Reed is more watery and has a bit of green vegetal character.

The Mexicans call avocados poor man's butter, and they are undeniably fatty, although it's relatively healthy monounsaturated vegetable fat. Avocados also have 60% more potassium than bananas. They are also rich in B vitamins, as well as vitamin E, vitamin K, and folate.

Avocados got their name from the Spanish explorers who could not pronounce the Aztec word for the fruit, known as ahuacatl, (meaning testicle – probably due to its shape). The Spanish instead called them aguacate, leading to the word guacamole.

In some countries of South America (such as Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Peru, and Uruguay), the avocado is known by its Quechua name, palta. The name avocado pear is sometimes used in English, as is alligator pear. In Chinese, the avocado is evocatively called the butter fruit.

The Aztecs ate the fruit as an aphrodisiac and during the Avocado's harvesting season Aztec families would lock up their daughters to protect them and they were not allowed outside. Avocado is also thought to promote physical beauty and is used in cosmetics to this day.

In the past avocados had a long standing stigma as a sexual stimulant and were not purchased or consumed by any person wishing to preserve their chaste image. Growers had to sponsor a public relations campaign to debunk the avocado's unsavoury reputation before they eventually became popular.

In 1672 W. Hughes, physician to King Charles II of England, in his visit to Jamaica, wrote that the avocado was "One of the most rare and pleasant fruits of the island. It nourisheth and strengtheneth the body, corroborating the spirits and procuring lust exceedingly." During the 1700s European sailors called it midshipman's butter because they liked to spread it on hardtack biscuits.

The Aztecs even made a thick beverage using the whipped flesh of avocados called abacate. When the Dutch settlers from the Amazon tried to replicate this in the Netherlands they used egg yolk mixed with rum and demerara sugar instead of the exotic fruit. Thus Advocaat was born!

Avocados are used not only in salads and the ever popular guacamole, but also in breads, desserts, main dishes and non-culinary creams for facials and body massages. Even the avocado tree leaves are used in some parts of Mexico. Both green and dried leaves can be used for wrapping tamales, or seasoning for barbecues and stews.

In Brazil avocados are frequently used for milk-shakes and occasionally added to ice cream. In the Phillipines, Jamaica and Indonesia a dessert drink is made with rum, sugar, milk, and pureed avocado. In Central America, avocados are served mixed with white rice. The fruit is also pressed for avocado oil production. In Chile it is often used in hamburgers, hot dogs and celery salads. Avocado flesh has even been used by some Native American tribes in the Southwestern United States in the mixing and application of adobe, a natural building material.

I think I prefer avocados being used as a beverege rather than as a cement but even better is eating one dowsed in garlic and dijon mustard vinegrette. Delicious!

(From Sue . . . )

Avocados usually end up as part of a prawn cocktail but there are some unusual and very tasty recipes out there that turn them into soups and casseroles. This one made my mouth water so I am going to test it out on Nick this weekend!

Chicken Avocado Casserole

· 7 tablespoons butter, divided
· 1 tablespoon olive oil
· 8 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
· 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
· 1 cup light cream
· 1 cup chicken broth
· 3/4 teaspoon salt
· 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
· 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
· 2 dashes hot pepper sauce
· 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
· 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
· 3 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
· 1/4 cup sherry
· 1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted
· 2 avocados

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Melt one tablespoon of butter in large heavy skillet. Add olive oil and swirl together with the butter. Add chicken and sauté until chicken pieces are browned and juices run clear. Turn pieces to brown evenly while sautéing. Place chicken breasts in a baking dish and set aside.

Melt 4 tablespoons of butter until foamy. Stir in flour, and cook for three minutes, stirring constantly. Slowly add cream and chicken broth. Continue stirring and cooking until smooth and thickened. Season sauce with salt, black pepper, Parmesan cheese, hot pepper sauce and herbs. Set aside.

Sauté mushrooms in remaining two tablespoons of butter. Add sherry and cook until reduced. Place mushrooms over the chicken. Pour the sauce over the chicken and mushrooms. Bake uncovered for 25 minutes, then sprinkle with almonds, and return to oven for 10 minutes. Peel and slice avocados lengthwise and place over chicken before serving.

There are three of our wines I would recommend to go with either of these dishes and that would be ‘Saint Marie’ (White) ‘Roques Mauriac’ (Rose) and the ‘Au Berton’ as a Red. The reason I have suggested three wines is because it is all down to personal choice. As the avocado is quite a complex fruit you will find it lends itself very well to a variety of wines and down to personal preference. However it will not suit big blockbuster wines but lends itself more to more elegant stylish wines as in the three wines I have mentioned.

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