We often think of avocados as a vegetable because they taste great raw and we eat them in salads, but they are actually a fruit. In some areas, it is known as the avocado pear and also the alligator pear due to the pebbly, rough exterior of one of the common types. There are quite a few varieties of avocados, but most cooks develop a preference for a particular breed. The fruit is harvested from tall trees, which grow in groves. The rich, pale yellow-green flesh of the pear-shaped fruit has a texture likened to a firm ripe banana, smooth and buttery, with a faintly nutty flavor. Most are grown in tropical climates, primarily in Mexico, California, Hawaii, and Florida.

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. The Taiwanese eat avocados with milk and sugar, Indonesians mix them with milk, coffee and rum for a cold libation, and the Filipinos puree them with sugar and milk to make a dessert drink. 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. Dried leaves will keep for several months on a tightly-closed container.

And Now for the Sexy Part!
The avocado (Persea gratissima or P. americana) gets its name from the Latin American nahuatl ahuacatl meaning "testicle," referring to its shape. It was discovered in Mexico approximately 291 B.C. The Spanish brought it to the English. The more easily-pronouced "avocado" is attributed to Sir Henry Sloane in 1669. The word itself first appeared in print in the 17th century, and then in America in 1697. The early Spanish explorers discovered the Aztecs enjoying avocados, but it was long considered a tasteless food. The Aztecs also used avocados as a sexual stimulant.

Although the prime season for avocados is late winter/early spring, they are readily available in markets year-round.