Charles Gifford wrote:
> "<RJ>" > wrote in message
> ...
> >
> > I'm still trying to acclimate to the Tex-Mex eating style.
> >
> > But avocados have me puzzled.
> > A spoonful of avocado tastes like
> > a spoonful of lard.....
> > Try as I may, there's no discernable flavor.
> >
> > Is this one of these totally neutral items
> > that only supplies color and texture
> > to the other ingredients ?
> >
> > Or am I one of the 10% that is missing
> > the "avocado tastebuds" ?
> >
> >
> > <rj>
>
> Avocados have a "buttery" texture and mouth-feel. The flavor is of
avocado.
> I do not remember if you have said where you are, but that will make
a
> difference. Avocados are not Tex-Mex. They are a native of Mexico.
Outside
> of Mexico they have been grown commercially in San Diego County for
well
> over 100 years. If not Mexican cuisine, avocados are Cal-Mex. In
California
> they have also been part of the "normal all-American" cuisine.
Growing up in
> San Diego, avocados were as common as oranges or apples for me.
Today, the
> main growers in the U.S. are in California, Florida and Hawaii. By
far the
> major producer is California and 70% of California avocados come from
San
> Diego. Not too many years ago, 80% of all U.S. grown avocados came
from San
> Diego. Mexican avocados used to be banned because of insect fears.
Now all
> states allow Mexican avocados to be imported except for California,
Florida,
> and Hawaii. This is going to end soon (NAFTA crap) and Mexican
avocados will
> be sold in those states too. Inevitably the San Diego avocado market
will be
> undersold by imported fruit. There are many varieties of avocados
sold. They
> differ in taste and fat levels. Most folks prefer the Hass which came
from a
> single mutation in one tree in Orange County, just north of San
Diego. The
> tree died about a year ago. A sad end of a miracle tree. A variety of
> Hawaiian grown avocado are rightly valued because of their large
size,
> flavor and fat content. Avocados are notoriously noted for their
growing
> needs. The slightest bad weather can ruin a crop as can shipping and
how
> they are handled. I have eaten avocados from Florida, Mexico, Hawaii
and
> Israel. All were good and bad depending on the particular avocado.
Avocados
> are a crap shoot. There is often no way to tell if an avocado is
good or
> not until you taste it. Often they are watery and tasteless rather
than
> buttery and rich. This can be caused by a number of factors. Perhaps
your
> avocado had a difficult childhood. Too much water or a cold night,
etc. You
> might have opened it before it was perfectly ripe (which is better
than
> opening it too late).
>
> They are temperamental, but they are definitely not Tex-Mex. <grin>
>
> Charlie

Go he http://www.avocado.org

Sheldon