Alligator Pears Never Had a Chance
One of the best bowls of guacamole I ever ate was prepared in Texas by a fifth generation German whose family settled in the hills country around Austin in the mid-1800s. He told me that his family had loved Mexican food forever, explaining that Texas culture was a wonderful mash-up of different heritages. It was a tasty reminder of how much of what we consume and enjoy has a fascinating history.
Towards that end, if you only read one book about avocados, please reach for Green Gold: The Avacado’s Remarkable Journey from Humble Superfood to Taste of a Nation. Sound silly, I know – but hear me out: the story of avocados is extraordinarily interesting, surprisingly complicated and it comes with lessons, too. Written by Sarah Allaback, an architectural historian and Monique F. Parsons, a journalist and avocado farmer, Green Gold mixes agriculture, botany, business, economics, global exploration, history; international trade, personalities and recipes most effectively. The authors, who have been friends since childhood, seem to have had fun researching and writing the book. A genuine enthusiasm for the subject is threaded throughout.
Avocados are the fruit from an evergreen tree that grows in warmer climes. Known as the “alligator pear” in the English-speaking world until the early 1900s, the aguacate (in Spanish) was a key component in the diets of Central and South American people for centuries. It was “discovered” as a potential crop for white Americans in the late 1800s. A fascinating cast of characters grew, modified, and promoted avocados. Foremost among them and a hero to the authors was Wilson Popenoe, a USDA employee and inveterate avocado champion. Through his work and others, strains of avocados were developed, promoted and organized through a growing group of associations and partnerships. There were genuine avocado influencers and scientists across the globe.
Avocados are a complicated plant and it took many efforts (and quite a bit of science) for growers and agricultural scientists to develop strains that withstood cold weather (a problem for US growers), remain shelf-stable (an issue for wider distribution), and would yield consistently tasty fruits (an issue to everyone who likes eating them). Expanding the use and popularity of avocados was also about education, experimentation, and widening palates. The American food market needed to learn what to do with the fruit. It took decades up decades of marketing and outreach to get the public even to accept and use the term avocado. Many generations thought of it as an alligator pear. Add to that the distrust of “foreign” foods, something that has been an ongoing concern for centuries, and the challenges facing avocado growers in Florida and California are formidable. Avocados were not an overnight success. Expansion was slow through much of the twentieth century.
It was not all marketing campaigns and publicity. Allaback and Parsons’ work demonstrates that great generosity and collaboration shaped the avocado industry. Central American growers shared cuttings from their trees. People traded information and assistance, helping to advance the fruit’s popularity. Celebratory meals and mutual gratitude stand out as highlights in the book. The popularity of avocados was a collaborative effort.
A significant portion of Green Gold looks at the latter part of the 1800s and early 1900s, a dynamic period in terms of international agricultural exploration and promotion. The world became smaller and better known. However, in 1914, as relations between the US and Mexico worsened, a seed weevil threat became the basis for an American ban of Mexican avocados. Bans had happened before, but this ruling hardened into decades of exclusion. Mexican growers had to find alternative markets and the US avocado industry profited. The ubiquitous Haas avocado was developed and promoted. It is a type that does well in American climes. The book tells the story of the Haas family and their tree whose cutting changed growing patterns and expectations. Individual trees, in fact, are very important to the development of particular avocado strains.
The United States lifted the ban of Mexican avocados in 1997. Mexico, unsurprisingly during the latter half of the 1900s, had been supporting a growing avocado industry. The change upended the avocado market. From the early part of the twenty-first century, the popularity of avocados exploded. It is now a $20+ billion dollar market in the US and the world has a taste for avocado toast and guacamole. The US is a major importer and the domestic avocado industry has peaked. Avocados are grown around the world, in Central and South America, Asia, Africa and Australia.
Consider reading Green Gold. It will change how you look at the produce section in the grocery store, and give you a little frisson of knowing when you enjoy guacamole or an avocado toast.
David Potash