Any time of the year is good to taste a delicious avocado. Its soft taste and creamy texture gives us energy, so if you are an athlete do not forget to include it in your diet. In the Canaries, we love the avocado, that is why the Canary Islands is the region of Spain where it is most consumed.
We invite you to know some curiosities and properties about one of the most nutritious and tasty fruits.
Avocado, also known as palta (quechua), comes from the tree (Persea americana), from the family of laureáceas. Originally from Mesoamerica (southern half of Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Belize, as well as western Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica), this tree can reach 20 meters, although generally, in crops, it does not grow anymore of five meters.
The Spanish word for avocado is “aguacate” and comes from the Nahuatí (native language of Mexico) and was called in that language "ahuacatí" that means "testicles of tree". Already in the Aztec empire, the word "ahuacatí" was used, to refer to the testicles and the tree, is believed by the similarity of form since, avocados usually grow of two in two. At the time of the conquest of America, it was the Spaniards who brought this product to Europe, calling it "pear of the Indians" because of its resemblance to this fruit.
In Europe the main producer of avocados is Spain and globally the main producer is Mexico. It is precisely in that country, in which the history of this food, goes back thousands of years, in the territory that today covers the state of Puebla. The oldest evidence of its consumption comes from a cave in Coxcatlán, (Tehuacán), with an antiquity of 7000 to 8000 years.
The subtropical climate of the Canary Islands favors the cultivation of avocados, having multiplied in the last years the plantations of this fruit in the island of La Palma, La Gomera and the north of Tenerife since this fruit lives a boom in world-wide level by its high level nutritional. In addition, canarian avocado has been considered, by those skilled in the art, as a differentiated product of very good quality and with great future.
Recently the Canary Islands, has registered in Europe a new variety of avocado of gomero origin. The Canary Islands Institute of Agricultural Research (ICIA) has registered in the Community Plant Variety Office (CPVO) a new avocado variety called "Julián", which comes from an Avocado seed of West Indian origin. After years of study by this center it has been discovered that this new variety is less sensitive to a soil fungus (Phytophthora cinnamomi) that causes the main disease that affects this crop, the rot of the roots of the aguacatero. A breakthrough that will undoubtedly improve the production of this rich fruit.
In the Canaries, there are mainly four varieties throughout the year Hass, Fuerte, Pikerton and Reed, being more commercial Hass avocado and strong avocado. Avocado, as a peculiarity, does not mature in the tree, but when it is harvested, although it must remain in the tree a minimum of 210 days. The longer you are in the plant, the more fat intake you collect. This peculiarity allows growers greater control over harvesting, often conditioned by demand.
Did you know that the avocado tree has a peculiar flowering? The dichromatic asynchromy. This comes to mean, roughly, that the flower of the Hass variety opens as female one morning, closes and the afternoon of the next day returns open, but as male. In the case of the Fuerte variety, it happens just the opposite.
This fruit is rich in vitamin E, contains healthy fatty acids, vitamins A, B, D, K and less C. Contains calcium, a large amount of potassium (more than a banana) and magnesium that promote good function of the nervous and muscular system, being also important for the immune system. Its consumption keeps the heart healthy, reduces cholesterol levels, controls blood pressure, contains anti-inflammatory properties, prevents birth defects by being rich in folic acid, being an ideal supplement for pregnant women during gestation. Reduces risk of stroke, is antioxidant ...
Its certain content in fat, has given bad press in the past, being banished this fruit from diets to lose weight or for athletes. Nothing could be further from the truth. Avocado fats are called "good fats" monounsaturated fats, oleic acid and alpha-linoleic (popularly known as omega-3 fatty acids), so this food reduces LDL (bad cholesterol) and increases HDL ( good cholesterol). These fats, will make us feel satiated for a long time and improve testosterone levels naturally.
Researchers at the University of Tufts have published a study that establishes a relationship between avocado consumption and improved cognitive brain function in adults in the elderly. The study, which was published in the journal Nutrients, has been approved by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).
We encourage you to include avocado in your diet and if you stay at our hotel, do not forget to taste an avocado from our Eco Finca Tecina. Bon Appetite!