Are you looking for the best fun facts about avocados? From where they come from to why we love them, check out these amazing avocado facts!
Where were you when you tasted your first avocado? Was it loaded onto a tortilla chip? Mingled in a cobb salad? Stuffed inside a delicious California roll? Or was it was baked into a chocolate cake and you didn’t even realize it?
The avocado is so versatile too – that’s why we love it so much. Also, there so many fun facts about avocados we bet you didn’t know about.
When you hear a TikTok “nutritionist” or a TV chef talk about “good fat” they’re usually referring to the humble avocado. It can replace butter in a muffin recipe or give your smoothie that extra smoothie-ness.
The avocado is nutrient dense. The avocado is a superfood. The avocado is literally taking over!
The OG avocados were grown mainly in Mexico, but avocados have become one of the most popular foods in the world and are now cultivated worldwide.
And have you ever heard about avocado hand? There’s whole forums dedicated to people who have been burdened with this affliction, cursing the enigmatic nature of the avocado.
Have we got you curious yet? Grab a big bowl of guacamole and let’s get this avocado rodeo started with these random avocado facts!
Contents:
18 Fun Facts About Avocados
1. The avocado is Mexican
The avocado originated in Puebla, Mexico, in approximately 10,000 BC. Today, Mexico is still the largest cultivar and supplier of the avocado worldwide exporting $2.7 billion worth in 2020 alone!
The other top 5 avocado exporting countries are the Netherlands, Peru, Spain and Chile.
2. An avocado for every occasion
Here’s one of our favorite avocado facts. There are over 1,000 different varieties of avocado! How crazy is that!?
The avocados we see at the grocery store are most likely the hass variety. It is the standard-bearer of the avocado we know and love because of its rich flavor and tough skin. It weighs around 8 ounces.
The Monroe avocado is the biggest variety and can weigh up to a whopping 2 pounds! Now that’s a lot of guac!
3. Is this avocado ready or not?
When searching for the perfect avocado remember these three words: Color. Texture. Firmness.
A ripe avocado will be dark green or nearing black in color. As the avocado ripens, the skin gets bumpier and the more warts the better.
Finally, a perfect avocado will yield to gentle pressure without indenting the fruit or feeling mushy. If it’s black, bumpy and firm you’re on the right track!
4. The Spanish word for avocado is aguacate
Hang on. Since we know the avocado is Mexican, shouldn’t we call it by its Spanish name aguacate?
Either way, the word avocado/aguacate originates from the Aztec language, Nahuatl. Hopefully this will tickle you. The origins of the Nahuatl word for aguacate is ahuacatl – this means testicle. We guess that Aztecs thought they looked like testicles!
Did we mention avocados grow in twos? How’s that for low-hanging fruit? We’ll never look at an avocado the same way again!
5. We like our toast fancy
Since the mid-2010s smashed avo on toast has become a staple on brunch menus iall around the world. But the idea of paying huge prices for avocado smeared on toast is often ridiculed as a millennial generation money-waster.
The dish is the most popular food pic on Instagram and is championed by actress Gwyneth Paltrow (is this a good thing?)
The popularity of avocado toast has forced it off many menus, as the demand for the creamy green mash has become environmentally unsustainable.
6. Step aside aloe vera
Not only can we smear avocado on toast, we can smear it on our face! The avocado is renowned as a skin moisturizer and rejuvenator and it can even help a sunburn.
The fatty acids in avocados have been shown to reduce damage caused by the sun, so if you’ve been accidentally sunbaked follow this recipe:
1 mashed avocado, 1 teaspoon honey, 1/2 teaspoon lime juice. Mash it up and slather it on. It’s a surprisingly good face mask.
7. It’s a bird. It’s a plane. It’s a superfood!
The avocado is a superhero in the kitchen because of its many health benefits.
High fibre content aids the digestive system. The healthy fats lower cholesterol and the chance of stroke or heart attack. The avocado is also rich in vitamin C and vitamin E. What more could you want!?
8. Ancient significance
The Aztecs were a Mesoamerican civilization that inhabited southern Mexico from 1345 to 1521. It was them who introduced the avocado to Spanish explorers who then took it back to Europe.
In Aztec culture the avocado was a symbol for love and fertility. They also believed (rightly so) that consuming avocado made a person healthy and strong.
9. When you need to cut down on the butter
Avocado is often referred to as a “good fat” for a reason. So is butter… but let’s just say butter’s reputation is a little more controversial.
Avocado can replace butter in most baking recipes and the formula is a cinch to remember: 1 cup (240 grams) of butter = 1 cup (240 grams) of pureed avocado.
Avocado is lower in cholesterol, sodium and saturated fat than butter. Also, another bonus – avocado is cheaper too!
10. Much better than the alligator pear
In the past, the avocado was sometimes referred to as the alligator pear.
It’s disputed as to how the avocado got such a nickname. One theory is that avocados were first grown in the US in Florida where alligators were common.
Another theory is simply based on the bumpy green skin, similar to the texture and color of alligator scales.
11. Holy guacamole!
Here’s a couple fun facts about avocado to bring up at your next taco night!
The day when the most avocados are consumed is Super Bowl Sunday when Americans eat an unbelievable 8 million pounds of guacamole.
A 9090-pound bowl of guacamole was prepared by the New York Jets football team for their season opener in 2019, setting the world record.
12. The avocado plant is thirsty!
A single avocado needs 320 liters of water to grow to maturity. When compared to other crops the avocado is by far the biggest water consumer.
In comparison, it takes 70 liters to grow an apple, 50 liters to grown an orange, and 25 liters to grow a potato.
Some vegans even refuse to eat avocados due to the high water consumption and its impact on the environment.
Next time you order avo toast, think of that.
13. A banana and an avocado walk into a bar…
Here’s two interesting banana/avocado facts.
The banana is known for its high potassium content (358mg), but it’s actually surpassed by the avocado (485 mg).
Need that avocado to ripen quickly? Just put it in a brown paper bag along with a banana. The banana releases a gas called ethylene, which expedites the ripening process so your avocado will be ready in time for dinner.
14. Avocados love to hang out
Did you ever wonder why avocados are available all year round at the grocery store?
Well, the avocado will not fully ripen until it is picked from the tree. This means that if an avocado is left to hang out, it can do so for up to eighteen months without going bad.
15. An avocado pharmacy
Here are some more fun facts about avocado that prove it really is a fascinating fruit.
The avocado is packed full of the most important mineral elements. Out of the 10 minerals essential to human health the avocado has all 10. Are you ready for the list?
Zinc, sodium, selenium, copper, potassium, manganese, magnesium, iron, phosphorus and calcium.
Need more convincing of the avocado’s health benefits? Avocados can also reduce gas and improve vision.
16. Be careful in the kitchen!
Let’s explore the avocado’s violent side!
“Avocado hand” is a popular reason for a trip to the emergency room. People inexperienced with avocados often underestimate how ripe their avocado is while cutting through it. The knife slips through the avocado and right through the hand, sometimes severing tendons and tissue.
If that’s not bad enough, removing the avocado pit is usually done by slashing it with a kitchen knife and twisting it out. What could possibly go wrong?
17. Don’t leave the skins on the counter
The avocado contains a fungicidal toxin called persin. Persin is especially toxic to dogs.
The plant, pit and skins have the highest concentrations and are extremely poisonous. The flesh of the avocado also contains persin, but in very small amounts.
If your pup gets into the guacamole that should be okay, but we wouldn’t be planting any avocado trees in the backyard.
18. The not-so-great avocado robbery
A man in Beersheba Israel robbed two banks of almost $10,000. The man reportedly screamed at the bank tellers, “Put the money in the bag or I’ll quickly throw this grenade!”
But what he was holding above his head wasn’t a grenade at all, but an avocado painted black.
Who wants more fun facts?
If you’re looking for some recommendations, these are a few of our favorite fact books to buy. We use these when planning fun trivia nights with family and friends!
