Description
Book SynopsisThe avocado is the iconic food of the twenty-first century. It has gone from a little-known regional food to a social media darling in less than a hundred years. This is an astounding trajectory for a fruit that isn’t sweet, becomes bitter when it is cooked and has perhaps the oddest texture of any fruit or vegetable. But the idea that this rich and delicious fruit is also healthy despite being fatty and energy-dense gives it unicorn status among modern eaters, especially millennials. Through lively anecdotes, colourful pictures and delicious recipes, Jeff Miller explores the meteoric rise of the avocado, from its co-evolution with the megaherbivores of the Pleistocene to its acceptance by the Spanish conquistadores in Mexico and its current dominance of food consumers’ imagination.
Trade Review"A welcome addition to the Reaktion food series. . . . Filled with splendid facts, figures, and illustrations. . . . This is a fascinating story, beautifully told." -- Marion Nestle, professor emerita of nutrition, food studies, and public health, New York University, author of "Unsavory Truth: How Food Companies Skew the Science of What We Eat"
Table of Contents1 The History of the Avocado
2 Growing Avocados
3 Selling an Odd, but Nutritious, Fruit
4 Eating Avocados and Other Uses
Appendix: Types of Avocado
Recipes
References
Further Reading
Websites and Associations
Acknowledgements
Photo Acknowledgements
Index
