Benefits of Avocado Health Nutrition Facts

The word “avocado” is said to be derived from the Nahuatl word “ahuacatl”, which means “testicle”.

Obviously, it describes the fruit shape and likely refers to the potency of avocado, which is believed to be aphrodisiac.

The Mesoamericans had discovered this fruit and avocados have been a part of the Mexican diet for a long time.

According to some archaeological evidence, avocado consumption goes back almost 10,000 years in central Mexico.

Later, the tribes such as Maya and Olmec domesticated this tree and grew their own avocado fruit.

The first Europeans ate avocados in the 16th century. It was Spanish explorers who consumed this fruit first among all other Europeans.

The Spanish had their own word for the fruit: “aguacate”. Thanks to the Spanish Conquest, avocados became widespread through Mexico, Central America, and parts of South America.

Eventually, the Spanish brought avocados to Europe. When people in Europe and North America got to know this fruit, they could describe the three main types of avocados: Guatemalan, Mexican, and West Indian.

George Washington once described finding and eating avocados in the West Indies and later wrote that the “agovago pears” were a popular food.

The word “avocado” is believed to have originated as a word coinage that was formatted by Sir Hans Sloane, an Irish naturalist, in 1696. Florida was the first place to plant avocado in the U.S.; this occurred in 1833.

However, it took almost a century for avocado to become a commercial crop.

Even though avocado was popular in California, Florida, and Hawaii, it was avoided in other states. Since the 1950s, avocado has been gaining widespread popularity.