Avocados are a delightful snack that can be used in a variety of recipes. Eat one plain, mix one into a smoothie to add texture and protein, or dice it and put it on top of a salad – the avocado’s ability to adapt to any yummy situation knows no bounds. If you’re a fan of this catch-all, lovely fruit, you know that life without avocados seems like a life not worth living. Where would we be without avocado in sushi rolls? My god, think about a world without guacamole?
But, we take the existence of avocados for granted, and the twisting, uphill path the fruit took to even exist is quite miraculous. The avocado has existed for thousands of years, with large mammals feeding on the protein and fat-heavy fruit deep in the jungles of Mesoamerica, where the plant would survive despite the heavy canopy above it. Thanks to being cultivated in the dung of the animals, the avocado trees flourished, then were discovered by our early ancestors who knew the green fruit would go well with some sliced tomato with some salt and pepper sprinkled on top.
The avocado has faced extinction multiple times due to the difficult nature of simply existing against the odds, but thankfully, the deliciousness of the fruit has risen above. The rest, they say, is an impressive history. One that Tom Selleck will never take for granted.
There’s also the issue of gang wars over avocados. It seems like this fruit can’t ever have an easy existence.
