An avocado grower in the US has been named 2009 Farmer of the Year by the San Diego County Farm Bureau in California as per the announcement made in the first week of December 2009.

The avocado was introduced from Mexico to the US state of California in the 19th century, and has become an extremely successful cash crop to the extent that internationally, avocado exports are dominated by the US, which produces more than 40 per cent of the world’s  avocado exports. 95 per cent of the US’s avocado production is located in southern California, with 60 per cent in San Diego County.

But when Mexico tried to export the same avocado to the US after the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) came into effect in 1994, faced stiff resistance from the US government. The US government claimed that the trade would introduce fruit flies that would destroy California's crops. The US government however had to give up when the Mexican government started throwing up barriers to US corn.

But there is more to avocado than its Mexican origin and trade  issues between Mexico and the US. The avocado is known for its high nutritional and therapeutical values and its versatility in vegetarian cuisines.

Although it is often mistaken for a vegetable, the avocado is a fruit. It is very popular in vegetarian cuisine, making it an excellent substitute for meats in sandwiches and salads because of its high fat content. In Brazil, Indonesia, Vietnam, and south India (especially the coastal Karnataka region), avocados are frequently used for milk-shakes and occasionally added to ice cream and other desserts. In Brazil, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Indonesia, a dessert drink is made with sugar, milk or water, and pureed avocado. In Australia and New Zealand, it is commonly served in sandwiches, often with chicken. In Ghana, it's often eaten alone in sliced bread as a sandwich. In Sri Lanka it is a popular dessert once well ripened, flesh is thoroughly mashed with sugar/sugar and milk or treacle (a syrup made from the nectar of a particular palm flower).

In Mexico and Central America, avocados are served mixed with white rice, in soups, salads, or on the side of chicken and meat. In Peru avocados are consumed with tequeños as mayonnaise, served as a side dish with parrillas, used in salads and sandwiches, or as a whole dish when filled with tuna, shrimps, or chicken. In Chile it is used as a puree in chicken, hamburgers, and hot dogs; and in slices for celery or lettuce salads. The Chilean version of Caesar salad contains large slices of mature avocado. In Kenya, the avocado is often eaten as a fruit, and is eaten alone, or mixed with other fruits in a fruit salad, or as part of a vegetable salad. In Iran it is used as a rejuvenating facial cream.

The fruit has a markedly higher fat content than most other fruits- mostly monounsaturated fat- same as in olive oil. It is a staple in the diet of communities where access to high-fat meats and fish, dairy etc is limited. Because most of the fat in avocados is monounsaturated, it does not elevate blood cholesterol levels, unlike the saturated oil that comes from the palm and  other tropical plants. Studies have shown that, after a seven-day diet rich in avocados, hypercholesterolemia patients showed a 17 per cent decrease in total serum cholesterol levels.

When served as part of an otherwise low fat meal or snack, an avocado contributes a number of important nutrients. Half of a medium size fruit, provides 500 mg of potassium and more than 16 percent of the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of foliate; it also supplies 10 percent or more of the RDA of iron, vitamins C, E, and B6. Avocados are also rich in two phytochemicals linked to lower cholesterol levels; and glutathione, an antioxidant that may offer protection against several cancers.

Avocado Fact File

·      Rich in monounsaturated oil, the same heart-friendly fat found in olive oil.

·      Have high soluble fibre

·      Rich in beta-sitosterol that helps prevent cholesterol from being absorbed through the intestines

·      Protein content about 4 gm in a medium sized fruit

·      Ripens only after being cut from the tree

·      Mature fruit can be left on the tree for six months without spoiling

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