Avocado

 

The avocado tree, which is said to have originated in south-central Mexico, belongs to the Lauraceae flowering plant family. The plant's fruit, often known as an avocado (or avocado pear or alligator pear), is a huge berry with a single enormous seed. Avocado trees are somewhat self-pollinating, and they're frequently propagated by grafting to ensure consistent fruit quality and quantity.

Avocados are grown in numerous countries with tropical and Mediterranean climates, with Mexico leading the way as the world's biggest avocado producer in 2019, producing 32% of the global total.

When mature, the fruit of domestic types has a buttery flesh. Avocados have green, brown, purplish, or black skin when ripe, and can be pear-shaped, egg-shaped, or spherical, depending on the variety. The fruits are harvested when still immature and matured after harvesting.  

The fruit of horticultural cultivars has a markedly higher fat content than most other fruit, mostly monounsaturated fat, and as such serves as an important staple in the diet of consumers who have limited access to other fatty foods (high-fat meats and fish, dairy products). Having a high smoke point, avocado oil is expensive compared to common salad and cooking oils, and is mostly used for salads or dips.