Dominican Avocado: The Complete Aguacate Guide

En Español

Why we ❤️ it

What's not to love about buttery and creamy textured, nutty-flavored avocados?

Dominicans revere them for their taste and texture because they're so satisfying and nutritious, and because serving a few generous chunks of Dominican avocado on the side with a sprinkling of salt transforms any dish -- from the daily Bandera lunch to a hearty plate of Sancocho or Asopao - into a veritable banquet. We also enjoy eating them in salads and mashed on Pan de agua bread.

Jump to the avocado recipes.

What is aguacate?

Aguacate is the most common Spanish name for avocado (Persea americana), a tree that originates in the highlands of Mesoamerica (modern-day Mexico and Central America). The fruit of the same name has been eaten and cultivated throughout the continent, including South America, since ancient times.

While we call this fruit aguacate - the most common name for avocado in Spanish - in parts of South America avocados are called palta.

Dominican avocado

Avocado is a staple of the Dominican diet and is mainly eaten as a side dish or part of a salad. In the Dominican Republic, avocado trees grow almost everywhere: in the fields, backyards (immediate shipping to the kitchen!), and gardens in cities and towns, as well as in rural areas.

We also have an ample supply from small family-owned sustainable farms, which keeps transportation costs low.

The Dominican Republic is now one of the world's main avocado producers, and its main export markets are North America (Canada and US), Puerto Rico, the Netherlands, Spain, and France.

You can buy avocados at corner and road stands, from colmados, growers markets, street vendors, supermarkets, and practically anywhere in the country.

How to select avocados

If you are planning to eat it within a day, choose an avocado that is soft, and has a slight give when you press the skin, without being mushy. Depending on the variety, it will stay green or turn purple when ripened.

How to store avocados

It's best not to refrigerate unripe avocados, as, in my experience, it halts the ripening process and tends to produce sub-par avocados.

Once an avocado has been cut open or mashed, refrigerate it and add a few drops of lemon or lime juice to the exposed flesh. You can also leave the pit to minimize exposure to the air and consequent oxidation.

If an avocado is still unripe, store it in a dark place like a kitchen cabinet, wrapped in newspaper. But don't forget to check it a couple of times a day to ensure you catch it before it overripens. The window of time between an unripe and overripe avocado is notoriously brief!

Nutritional properties of avocados

It is said that when avocados are in season, in poorer households, children's nutritional levels show a measurable increase.

Avocados are very rich in healthy fats and fiber, and also contain high to moderate amounts of vitamin B, C, E, and K, Omega 3, and very high levels of potassium.

Health benefits of avocado

With the possible exception of people with chronic kidney disease, avocado has been incorporated into many diets due to its rich nutritional qualities.

While relatively high in fat and calories, it is considered a healthy vegetable, and it is particularly popular with vegans and vegetarians, keto and paleo eaters, as well as the general public.

Avocado varieties

There are approximately 500 varieties of avocado worldwide. The main cultivars in the Dominican Republic are Green Skin, Hass, Semil 34, Popenoe, Simmonds, Pollock, Doctor Dupoi, and Carla.

What does aguacate mean?

The name for avocado in Spanish, aguacate, comes from the Aztec āhuacatl. In Spanish, aguacate is the best-known word for the fruit. However, in some parts of South America, avocado is known as 'palta.' In Venezuela, 'cura' is a synonym for aguacate. Avocado is sometimes called 'pagua' in Cuba.

Avocados were originally called 'peras de las indias' (West Indian pears) by the Spaniards when they arrived in the Americas. According to some sources, another name was 'manzana de invierno' or winter apple.

Why is avocado called palta?

Palta is a Quechua word, and this is what avocados are called in Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay. Palta is also the name of an indigenous ethnic group from the Andean region.

How to pronounce aguacate?

The pronunciation in Spanish is Ag-wah-kah-teh.

What is aguacate in English?

The English name for aguacate is avocado. The original English name in the US was 'alligator pear'. Australians abbreviate avocado to 'avo'. In India, it is also known as 'butter fruit'.

How to remove the aguacate pit safely?

Slice the ripe avocado lengthwise around the single large seed known as the pit. Once halved, the pit should come out without much coaxing. If not, gently squeeze the half with the pit, and it will pop out.

Some fun facts about avocado

• As mentioned above, the Spanish name 'aguacate' derives from the Aztec āhuacatl, the Nahuatl word for testicles, apparently because they grow in pairs rather than for their color or shape. The Aztecs also called it the fertility fruit.
• Its former name in English, alligator pear, was changed because 'avocado' was considered to be more marketable.
• When avocados first appeared in the UK market in the 1960s, they were labeled as avocado pears. That name soon faded out of use after people tried to eat them as if they were actual pears!
• Botanically, avocado is a fruit, although culinarily, it is used as a vegetable. But not always. For example, in Brazil, avocado is eaten as a dessert, sweetened with sugar. It can replace dairy butter or cream and even eggs in vegan cakes, and avocados can make a fruit smoothie creamier without overpowering the flavor.
• In Mexico, the leaves of the avocado tree are used in a variety of dishes as well as for tea.
• At one point, an estimated three million photos of avocado toast were posted daily on Instagram.
• Avocados have higher levels of potassium than bananas.
• Avocados have long been used in traditional and commercial skin and hair products for their moisturizing qualities.

Avocado season

In our country, the season for avocados ranges from April to October. They are sometimes available earlier or later in the season.

Imported avocados

With worldwide demand skyrocketing, avocado has also become one of the country's leading export crops and is being cultivated on a large scale.

But it's not all good news. Environmental concerns about large-scale cultivation of avocados include deforestation to make way for plantations and extremely high levels of water use (an eye-watering 320 liters per avocado).

As with many cash crops, increased demand from international markets hikes the price and risks, making it less affordable to locals. Imported avocados have a huge carbon footprint for being shipped across the world from as far as Chile and New Zealand.

Sources

• Wikipedia
• Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture
• Wikipedia
• Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture
• ProDominicana/CEI-RD - Centro de Exportación e Inversion de la República Dominicana
• Encyclopedia of food & nutrition focused on comparison
• USDA
• The True Cost of our Avocado Obsession. British Vogue
• Why our love for avocados is not sustainable. Sustainable Food TrustWikipedia
• Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture