On Wed, 03 Aug 2011 08:07:22 -0700, sf > wrote:

>On Wed, 03 Aug 2011 00:57:40 -0700, Christine Dabney
> wrote:
>
>> On Tue, 02 Aug 2011 21:45:49 -1000, dsi1 > wrote:
>>
>> >A lot of the locals here call it a
>> >"pear" which is kind of strange but whatever they call it, it's
>> >appreciated greatly.
>>
>> Years and years and years ago, I think avocados used to be called
>> Alligator pears. I remember reading about that from James Beard and
>> other cooks from his era.

They're still called alligator pears by many people, especially in
areas where they originated in Central America. The word 'avocado'
comes from the Mexican Spanish aguacate which in turn comes from the
Nahuatl word ahuácatl (scrotum, a reference to the shape of the
fruit). BTW, there is no such thing as a CA or a FL avocado unless
one is interested in where they were grown... avocados of all types
are grown in several places around the world... avocado is neither
native to CA or FL. In markets they're not typically individually
labeled with where grown. Avocados are sometimes labeled by grower,
like bananas are labeled Chiquita, and citrus is labeled Tropicana,
Sunkist, etc. Banana and citrus are native to southeast Asia

>Kiwis had a different original name too,,,, it all boils down to
>marketing.

Kiwi was always kiwi (a flightless bird). It's kiwifruit that had a
different name (Chinese gooseberry).