The Avocado

The avocado is arguably the most iconic food of the twenty-first century. In less than one-hundred years, it has gone from a little-known regional delicacy to global embrace and social media fame. This may seem like an astounding trajectory for a fruit that isn’t sweet, that gets bitter when it is cooked, and has perhaps the oddest texture of any fruit or vegetable. But it is precisely the avocado’s contradictions that have contributed to its ascent: the idea that this rich and delicious fruit is also healthy despite being fatty and energy-dense grants it unicorn status with modern eaters, especially millennials. Through lively anecdotes, colorful pictures, and delicious recipes, Jeff Miller explores the meteoric rise of the avocado, from its coevolution with the megaherbivores of the Pleistocene to its acceptance by the Spanish conquistadors in Mexico, to its current dominance of food consumers’ imaginations.

Learn how to prep, style, and eat this phenomenally popular superfood With over sixty recipes included from breakfast through to dessert--with everything from avo nuggets to avo ice pops to adding avocado to classic dishes--the culinary creations in this book prove that avocados are not only tasty and nutritious but incredibly versatile too. The Avocado Book is filled with pages of inspiration on how to make the most of this number one superfood.

This book is comprised of 15 chapters covering principles and basic understanding in avocado science, technology, best management practices and postharvest aspects. It is aimed at avocado researchers, libraries, teachers and academics, students, advisers, cutting edge growers and industry support personnel. Topics discussed include the history, distribution, uses, taxonomy, botany, genetics, breeding, ecology, reproductive biology, ecophysiology, cultivars and rootstocks, propagation, biotechnology, irrigation and mineral nutrition, crop management, foliar, fruit and soil-borne diseases, insect and mite pests and harvesting, packing, postharvest technology, transport and processing.

'One of the best novels about growing up fast' GUARDIAN 'One falls for Sally Jay Gorce from a great height from the first sentence' OBSERVER 'Scandalous and entertaining . . . Both funny and true' EVENING STANDARD The Dud Avocado gained instant cult status on first publication and remains a timeless portrait of a woman hellbent on living. Sally Jay Gorce is a woman with a mission. It's the 1950s, she's young and she's in Paris. Having dyed her hair pink, she wears evening dresses in the daytime and vows to go native in a way not even the natives can manage. Embarking on an educational programme that includes an affair with a married man (which fizzles out when she realises he's single and wants to marry her); nights in cabarets and jazz clubs in the company of assorted "citizens of the world"; an entanglement with a charming psychopath and a bit part in a film financed by a famous matador. But an education like this doesn't come cheap. Will our heroine be forced back to the States to fulfill her destiny as a librarian, or can she keep up her whirlwind Parisian existence? Books included in the VMC 40th anniversary series include: Frost in May by Antonia White; The Collected Stories of Grace Paley; Fire from Heaven by Mary Renault; The Magic Toyshop by Angela Carter; The Weather in the Streets by Rosamond Lehmann; Deep Water by Patricia Highsmith; The Return of the Soldier by Rebecca West; Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston; Heartburn by Nora Ephron; Memento Mori by Muriel Spark; A View of the Harbour by Elizabeth Taylor; and Faces in the Water by Janet Frame

From social media to hipster menus, avocados are trending, and this utterly original cookbook from the avocado’s native Mexico celebrates the fruit that went from Aztec aphrodisiac to twenty-first-century clean-eating superfood. Everything there is to know about avocados is here: ancient origins, amazing health properties, restorative cosmetic uses, and a recipe collection far beyond the tried and true. This book features a fresh visual design aesthetic that reflects the creative sensibility of Mexican contemporary art, graphic design, atmospheric photography, and street style. Recipes cover everything from guacamole in many variations, salads, unusual sides, many permutations of avocado toast—even toastless avocado sandwiches—as well as less well-known and offbeat uses. The book also explores avocado butter and oil; detoxifying smoothies; rejuvenating cosmetic salves and masks, and much more. Practical matters are also addressed: an avocado overview by type; storage tips; preserving the brilliant green flesh from browning; ripening immature fruits; and safety tips for slicing and de-pitting. Avocados are grown in Mediterranean climates globally and dominate social media, hip restaurant menus, and health-based diets, but this is the first book paying tribute to the superfruit’s deep roots as a native, Mexican heritage food. WINNER OF THE 2022 GOURMAND WORLD COOKBOOK AWARDS

Whether smashed on toast or hailed as a superfood, the avocado has taken the world by storm, but what are the environmental and social impacts of this trendy fruit? This book does not seek to demonise the avocado and its many enthusiasts. Instead, it will illuminate consumers on the often unseen impacts of foods. A staple of cafes, restaurants, homes, and social media channels, demand for the avocado has grown exponentially over the past thirty years. From an everyday crop in South and Central America to a global phenomenon, this drastic change in demand has many consequences for people and the planet. As demand grows, so does the need for more land, with land clearances threatening habitats and biodiversity. As production grows, so does global distribution and the impacts that air and sea travel have on the environment. The shift from a local to a global product disturbs the local food system, raising serious questions around food sovereignty and food justice and the importance of establishing an agricultural system that is both environmentally and socially just. While focusing here on the avocado, this book allows readers to gain a better understanding of the food system as a whole. In doing so, it empowers us all to think carefully and critically about the environmental and ethical implications of our food choices more broadly. We shouldn’t feel guilty about eating avocados, we should simply understand the impact of doing so. This book is essential reading for all who are interested in learning more about the food system, sustainable diets, and the relationship between farming and the environment.