Avocados: A History

[@mommatanya1]

My mother was a child during WW2. She lived in Californian where her mother and father worked at the ship yards as welders. They had a cousin who had a house that had an avacado tree in the yard. They all enjoyed the avacados as a substitute for butter to spread on toast, etc.

[@frequentlycynical642]

They were hipster and didn't know it. Nice story.

[@shaolinfox30]

A lady welder? Well I've never heard of such a thing. Next you're going to say, her daughter went on to be a doctor.😮

[@theeddorian]

@@shaolinfox30 My grandmother both welded and riveted at McClellan Air Field in WW II. The work was final assembly of fighter planes bound for the Pacific. Both her daughters were teachers.

[@KurtfromLaQuinta]

@@shaolinfox30My wife and I had a friend who was a welder in the shipyard in Richmond, California during WW 2. She was a true “Rosie the Riviter”. A very sweet woman. She passed away two years ago. She’s was 97.

[@shaolinfox30]

@ I don’t believe

[@kennethcombs7078]

The original Haas avocado tree was along West road in La habra Heights. After it died, it's stump remained there for some time. A long time family friend carved some wooden bowls from it. One has been on display at the La Habra historical museum. Growing up in the heights, I used to drive by that tree in the early 1980s. Our house was on a 1.7 acre lot of predominantly avocado trees. The year I was born, my father purchased four acres of avocado trees as an investment. He cultivated the trees and sold them to a local packing house and use them for barter. The history guys videos are awesome! Thank you for your research!

[@thesugarwitch_co]

Yes! I miss going to the Avocado Festival over there! ❤ Love to see a Heights native with an amazing avocado story!

[@oldbisciut84]

I never saw them until the 1980s. I thought they were bland when I tried them then

[@peggyh4805]

History guy, yes!

[@gnochcheech5645]

Ahuacatl .- testicle in Nahuatl, correct ✅ 🥑🥑

[@BenildeMoreno]

No, it wasn't. It's been in Michoacán México since long before. It existed for centuries before anyone claimed to recreate it.

[@DS.proudkiwi]

I specialized in grafting avocado trees at a nursery here in NZ. I got to graft some trees using sign wood that was flown over from California. We grew the trees in quarantine for few years then planted them out and used them to gather sign wood from to produce more trees of those particular varieties. I was just the grafter and not the guy that paid for it all .....but I think it's quite cool , in a very small way I helped to bring more prosperity to my country and had a part in building, and in the history of my country. In a hundred years something I did will still be providing for NZers. That's kinda what everyone wants to be able to say at the ending of their lives isn't it ? You left something and did something for the next generations

[@christinecarter6836]

I'm in Auckland and love avocados, especially at this time of year when they're so affordable. Thank you for the early work you did on multiplying this marvelous crop... hearing your story I'll celebrate you when I next cut an avocado open 👍👍👍

[@DS.proudkiwi]

@christinecarter6836 thanks it's nothing I was just part of a team, I'm just little proud I had some part in our countries greatness

[@NoahSpurrier]

Damn… u need to plant a tree.

[@DS.proudkiwi]

@NoahSpurrier I grow a few natives as well as different fruit and nut trees that I usually give away to people. I like growing things that our native birds can feed on and I try to get people plant more natives in their home gardens for that reason.

[@goosenotmaverick1156]

​@DS.proudkiwi no matter where on the planet, natives are massively important. Props to you for that, and your work with avocados! You should be proud, I'd be proud to have taken part in something like that, even a small one ❤

[@loumontcalm3500]

Two "alligator pear" trees in my back yard. I am truly blessed.

[@lefty-bw1zp]

Yes you are.

[@samsonsoturian6013]

Found Florida Man

[@jonathanrichardson469]

Great to pick your own. I don’t buy them now that they have Apeel on them.

[@RolloTonéBrownTown]

​@@patron40silverthey even have the "raw chicken skin" texture just like the "genuine article" lol😂

[@Oreo-xc9sd]

loun, Falacy what you said. Avocado needs man work it is not a natural by mother nature. Avocado needs to be mix male or female in order to be eatable.

[@healthdios]

I was born and raised in central México, and avocados were just part of our daily life. There were avocados trees everywhere and from all kinds of varieties and flavors. I remember getting a piece of bread and nothing else when I'd go with my dad to help my grandparents at their farm fields because right along the boundary lines he'd have avocado trees loaded with rippen fruit. All we had to do was pick a couple of them and slice them onto our bread and just addinga few grainsof coarse salt . That was the most tasty sandwich from my childhood memories.

[@jonathanramos8414]

Avacado salsa on carne asada meat 🤤

[@juanesquivel8621]

Man totally true but sadly they let the plant sneak out of the country and eventually will make everyone else benefit except Mexico another lost for the Mexican people .😢

[@seanmcplace6561]

The Nahuatl word in the Cuetzalan de Progresso mountains of Puebla Mexico is Awakat.

[@mja2001]

Testicles Spread on Toast, that's the name of my new band 😂 Watch out Foo Fighters! 😂

[@azborderlands]

I’ve learn from scholars that it’s an indigenous fruit to the Americas. Even the Aztecs had a word for it. Aguacatl or something. And you’re giving a different history.

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

It was scholars who determined that the genus originated in Africa.

[@yishay6194]

​@@TheHistoryGuyChannelyou're delusional ...avocado is Aztec or Mexican....get a life. Next you're saying natives are Chinese and males are females.....

[@MA-zv8wn]

​@@TheHistoryGuyChannelJAJAJAJA JAJAJAJA 😂 WHAT A JOKE AND BIG LIER. AGUACATL. IS ORIGINAL FROM MÉXICO. MOT FROM AFRICA. AGUACATE IS A NAHUALT WORD. THAT MEANS. TESTICLE FOR THE SHAPE AND IS OEIGINAL FROM MÉXICO. TYATS WHY MÉXICO. IS THE FIRST. GASTRONOMY HUMAN HERITAGE. BECAUSE MÉXICO PROVIDED. UNICS INGREDIENTS. TO THE WORLD. BY UNESSCO. UNESSCO MADE 6 YEARS OF RESEARCH AND PROVED. THAT AGUACATE CAME FROM MÉXICO

[@MA-zv8wn]

​@TheHistoryGuyChannel YOU ARE WRONG. UNESSCO. RESEARCH. FOR 6CYEARS. TO PROVED THE ORIGENVOF AGUACATE AND IS FROM MÉXICO. TGATS WHY MÉXICO IS TGE FIRST GASTRONOMY OF THE WORLD. FOR UNICS INGREDIENTS. THATS WHY IS. KNOWING ARROUND THE WORLD. WITH. AN. NAHUALT NAME.

[@Miguel-x2l]

​@@TheHistoryGuyChannelscholar's also discovered we all came from Africa

[@qualitytraders5333]

I live in Mexico and have my avocado tree, of the Hass variety, in my garden. The Hass is a dark brown/almost purple skin and a creamy, almost oily, yellow pulp. We eat them as guacamole, just as a snack or in salads. Never on a sandwich. We don't buy them in supermarkets, as everybody squeezes them to check their ripeness and turning the pulp black. They go for about 1.50 dollars/kg. (5-6 avocados). Prices vary widely from 1.00-10.00/kg.

[@jonthinks6238]

Your story reminded me of an encounter I recently had in the Publix. A woman in front of me, was squeezing not just a few, but literally almost the entire display. Which is disgustingly entitled, but then she started sneezing on them and her hands. I said some politically incorrect words and she left like a Karen. So I got the produce manager and explained the situation. One because it was distasteful, and I also didn't want police interference on me. They pulled them all a rewashed every one. I wasn't popular with the high school age employees for a couple of weeks. Long-story-short there is NO need to squeeze them.

[@alastorgdl]

@@jonthinks6238 it's impossible to know which side (most probably both) were acting like typical WASPs (arrogant and insensitive). What I can say is: OF COURSE fruit MUST BE squeezed. But it must be done in a VERY gently and subtle way, to the limit of tact, which permits to feel the fruit without damaging it. Why MUST BE? Because, unlike Europeans, cultured people only consume well matured fruit, and the only way to know if fruit is ready, is using the senses, specially tact.

[@jonthinks6238]

@alastorgdl Well, I'm not a wasp, so it was her. But when you sneeze on food and your hands, it is time to stop. Gross

[@alastorgdl]

@@jonthinks6238 If you asked ALL fruits to be washed instead of YOU washing the ones you bought, you behave like WASP so you're WASP for any practical purpose. But I can withdraw that and change it to "acting like typical Europeans". I bet you understood I'm not approving her behavior, you just need an excuse to avoid the main subject of food culture.

[@gnochcheech5645]

You betty you know you’re the one that got into a grossly unfair conduct, and you shyly let it through in your story; even though your first premises were true and right, it’s not always such a big deal, not enough to enforce that kind of action, sneezing is also human. And fruits and vegetables should be swiped with some type of cloth (not rinsed in water) when you pick them, at the grocery, and again when you’re about to prepare for cooking and eating. If you ask me, which you didn’t

[@tom1mexico]

Actually grew up in Helena Montana. Around 1948 8 years old. My father was from California. My father asked the produce man at the local Safeway if he could get Avocados. Of course the produce man had never heard of them. My father asked if he could ask the Salt Lake City Safeway distribution center if it was possible. Keeping the story as short as possible, it was possible to send up but a case of 24 was the only purchase option prepaid. I immediately fell in love with them.

[@russcrawford3310]

I grew up in California ... swimming in Brussels Sprouts and Avocados ...

[@NVRAMboi]

"My condolences." :o)

[@jasongarland3165]

There are worse things!

[@RolloTonéBrownTown]

​@@NVRAMboiall about the "attitude of gratitude!" I grew up in California with tons of fruit trees but then had to move to Alaska. It was a hard thing to leave the cherry , pears and grapes. After a while, I discovered how many types of berry grow wild here and began picking tons of them, my family now makes some incredible wild berry jam every fall and it's replaced store bought! I also have a rhubarb plant that produces huge stalks every summer, despite never being watered or given fertilizer. It's even been run down with a snow plow several times and I split it's taproot and made two plants out of it. Both grow like a weed to this very day!

[@bobblowhard8823]

I grew up in California too. Let's not forget artichokes and pomegranates.

[@alantremonti1381]

Thanks for reminding me to get more avacados at the store--remembering to get more avacados from the store deserves to be remembered!

[@colinr1960]

Fun fact: avocados were not eaten very much in Australia until American servicemen were flooding our streets during WW2. Trees were grown in Brisbane in many front yards but fruit was left rotting on the ground and seen as a bit of a nuisance. Servicemen walking past would approach homes to ask to buy some of the fruit. Being WW2 and servicemen asking it was given freely. In exchange they would show civilians how they ate them at home. Who hasn’t now got a favourite avo recipe? (Shrimp, Chicken, Avo, mango, cilantro, lettuce, cucumber, red onion, cherry tomato salad…with a honey/mustard dressing. 😋😋😋)

[@chuckdacon4797]

Back in the 50's our house in LA had two big avocado trees. I don't recall my folks eating them and me and my friends would use the hard ones as hand grenades when we played war.

[@matt291]

I'm not the only one eh?

[@divindave6117]

Avadados have been on my plate in one form or another for more than 60 years. I never knew the history of them other than what my mama told me which was it was from Mexico. Im glad to know that one of my favorite foods has such a rich history.

[@pavelow235]

I grew up in the midwest I don't really recall avocados 40 years ago....where did you grow up?

[@krono5el]

wait till you learn about the 5 cradles of civilization and how they prob created everything you love. we all owe them so much.

[@catatonicbug7522]

Growing up in Southern California, there were avocado trees growing in people's back yards, often hanging over the fence, offering their fruits to passersby.

[@5643437]

In the late 70's early 80's you could buy a dozen avocados for $1.00 on street corners...in Southern California!

[@ronjones1077]

This was a fun history lesson! Can’t wait to order a testicle omelet

[@g.v.hedgpeth2602]

😆

[@rhuephus]

there's always Rocky Mountain Oysters

[@cynergy4]

The seed that Haas purchased came from the town that I lived in for 15 years, Whittier. The mother tree was grown the next town over, La Habra Heights. Tho the mother Haas tree died a couple of decades ago, I used to drive by the location where it grew almost every day on my way to work. I had four avo trees in my Whittier backyard, all of different varieties. Sure do miss that!

[@newatthis50]

Which variety did you like best?

[@raywhitehead730]

My wife's family lived just down slope from the guy who discovered the Base avocado, The address was in Whitter, but the next street over was La Habra. Her aunt purchased one of the first Hass avocado trees offered for sell. Her home was in Whitter. That avocado grew in to a very large tree and was very productive. We were never without free avocado s that were very good.

[@cynergy4]

@@newatthis50 There was an unknown variety that produced big tasty avos. I used to pick up about 8 a day in good seasons. I used to give them away! The squirrels would always get some, so when the tree was producing I would leave peanuts out for the squirrels so they would leave the avos alone. Of commercial varieties, Hass rules!

[@newatthis50]

@cynergy4 I'm currently in Missouri. Much too cold to raise them shucks. Worked in Florida where a lady had sweet ones Didn't like them as much

[@newatthis50]

@cynergy4 Thank You

[@sailordude2094]

I'm eating some avocado every day now with my salads. I ate them as a kid in the 70s, my Mom showed me how to make one sprout with toothpicks stuck in its sides so that half of the seed rests in the bottom of a glass of water, while the top is out of the water. Anyone else ever do that? Thanks for the delicious avocado history!

[@Scot-p1v]

As a 70s faculty brat, I’ll say that it was a rare kitchen window that didn’t have at least one avocado sprouting in a little jelly jar.

[@davidchamlee2058]

Grew up in the Santa Barbara area. You could always tell the Tourists. They were the Only ones at the grocery stores BUYING Avocados and Lemons. It was a sign that you didn't know Anybody, since Nearly Everyone had them in the backyard. And if You didn't, You knew someone who did. Nobody who knew Anybody Bought Avocados or Lemons, ..... or Oranges either.

[@brucepoole8552]

Same with marijuana

[@jonthinks6238]

​@@brucepoole8552😂

[@therufflife4121]

​@@brucepoole8552Lol according to old lifelong Fallbrook locals, that's why they became the avocado capital. Because they were hiding the marijuana as far back as the 70s 🤣

[@HM2SGT]

Gotta admit, I wouldn't have thought you could do 2 minutes of interesting things on avocados let alone 15!

[@JamesTrewolla]

You must be new here. 😂

[@tygrkhat4087]

On THG's History of Ketchup video, someone posted; "Why do I need to know the history of ketchup? Wait, what is the history of ketchup?"

[@ZeusTheIrritable]

One of my favorite episodes is the one on an Onions Futures scandal in the early 20th century.

[@JamesTrewolla]

@@tygrkhat4087 Informative, masterfully delivered, easily digested and preserved for the ages. Its like ketchup for the mind.

[@vancejohnson2578]

In Ventura County avocados could be discussed ad infinitum. And frequently is...

[@1954shadow]

Saw your premier on “Destination Unknown,” you knocked it outta the park!

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

Thank you!

[@Michele-z4k]

Born and raised in California, I’ve been eating them for 70 years long before they became a fad. When I lived in Santa Barbara there was one tree on each side of the house.

[@robertgutheridge9672]

I lived in Goleta

[@Michele-z4k]

@ I did too when we first got there. Then we lived up in the hills and in Isla Vista in student housing. Then i moved home to Martinez.

[@joetanaka6446]

I grew up in California. My mom, who was also born there, always had avocados on the kitchen counter. Love her so much

[@jameslockard6956]

I remember avacado in the early 60 they were hard ,never the soft enjoyment of todays avocados.

[@54032Zepol]

Bro they gotta ripen first, you been eaten avocados wrong this entire time huh?

[@LightningRound1st]

I grew up in Southern California. We had four avocado trees in our yard. As a child in the 1970s, we sold avocados at 4 for $1 on a street corner in the residential neighborhood. Now look at the prices. lol.

[@DEEZEEMTB]

lol. That was my story and the same price! 4 for a buck.

[@ofcv1238]

Do you know 100% of edible Avocados 🥑 are global clones same as bananas 🍌?

[@matt291]

I miss my avocado trees. We had orange, grapefruit, peach, apricot, mandarin and lemon trees as well. Our yard was like a fruit stand. 😂

[@tommunyon2874]

In the 1960s I was the only one in my family that seemed interested in avocados. I spent my own allowance on them. My six siblings questioned my preference.

[@lauragraham170]

I remember trying avocado for the first time as a kid and being very confused by the taste and texture. My great-grandma had brought them from Hawaii, where my grandma grew up eating them. A very unique and delicious gift of nature! Great video, THG!

[@krono5el]

If those first people to cultivate the plant didn't create the other varieties 7000 years ago we wouldn't even have the ones that weren't mostly a seed. need to thank them every time you eat a avocado. nature just gave us a giant seed with no meat : P

[@paulbrandon5735]

When my grandmother moved from rural Indiana to Fullerton, Ca in 1962, she discovered she had two avocado trees in her back yard. She originally had no idea what they were or their use. Guacamole was as foreign to her as tacos. As a reborn Californian, she soon learned their value, and we all eventually learned to love them. Another great video .

[@michellewelch6013]

Thanks for making history so much fun to learn. ❤

[@maalf1304]

it's his story.... not really the truth

[@lizhalpin8610]

I have 20 avocado trees, all original from the 1920’s . Some of my trees are unknown because they were part of the “experiment “ in the Whittier/ la Habra area. A couple of my trees give the most amazing creamy, buttery fruit, we have no idea what type they are. I also have many Hass. However the unknown fruit are far superior in taste. I also have Fuerte, Mexicola and zutano. I am blessed to have this “green gold.”

[@jackpatrick3960]

Wow! I want to live at your house!

[@bobperrine6193]

Holy Guacamole

[@rawcado]

😐

[@orchidorio]

I really enjoyed this presentation! I have lived in Southern California since the early 1960's and avocado trees were everywhere. I love them. I learned a lot. Thanks.

[@manuelrivera6785]

Thanks!

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

Thank you!

[@DKH-ev2lr]

“I hope you enjoyed this episode”. Always do Lance. Thank you.

[@m.a.nugent8278]

I lived in Southern California from 1973 through 1979. Avocados were so popular then we could buy up to 15 avocados for $1.00 at most of the roadside stands. They were abundant and delicious. Today’s prices are exorbitant for just 1 avocado!

[@milosterwheeler2520]

We had an avocado tree when I was a kid in the 1950's. I would eat peanut butter and avocado sandwiches - because bananas cost money and avocadoes were free.

[@Brimoeris1]

History Guy. More videos on food please.

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

studio.kzbin.infoPLSnt4mJGJfGh1AXjLrFFbhOQmfI34hA9g/edit?Fmy_videos

[@lefty-bw1zp]

He has a lot of them: Hot Dogs, oranges, mustard, and others.

[@panchohalo2158]

@@TheHistoryGuyChannel Link doesnt seem to work

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

@@panchohalo2158 History of food kzbin.info/aero/PLSnt4mJGJfGh1AXjLrFFbhOQmfI34hA9g

[@panchohalo2158]

@@TheHistoryGuyChannel Just for me? Thank you. You're one of my very top favorite KZbin channels.

[@lynnleavitt478]

I love avocados (paltas or aguacates) in any form. My favorite is added to Mexican shrimp cocktail, but just scooped out of its skin with salt and pepper sprinkled on is great as well. I learned more in this video than I learned in my 74 years of living. Good learning experiences here on this channel.

[@chriscooper654]

Very informative! I developed a taste for avocado just about ten years ago. Now I'm grateful that my mother has a tree in her back garden. Looking forward to this year's crop!

[@oldsarj]

As a graduate of the University of California, Riverside, (home of the Citrus Experiment Station that introduced the naval orange to the world) I think you have understated the contribution our researchers have made to the avocado and its culture. Expect the 'Luna' variety to soon replace the Hass. It was awarded one of Time magazine's best inventions of 2023. Smaller tree, larger yield.

[@McMinderbinder]

I grew up in So Cal, and there's nothing better than a Fallbrook avocado that just fell off a tree. Butter is a very good description of the flavor.

[@gregsmith230]

I remember when I was 6 years old we moved from SE Kansas to Colorado and my Mom brought home some avocados from the store. It was love at first bite.

[@zepmarq]

Thank you for this look at a delicious and nutritious Mexican treasure. ❤

[@JungleJoeVN]

As an expatriate from the United States now living in Vietnam, I have noticed that the avocado is widely grown here, not only in groves, but amongst coffee trees to divide one farmer's coffee from another. They are very cheap during the season and a lot of them are left lying on the ground as they are used more as a shade tree for Robusta coffee trees. I personally had three trees growing in my garden and they produced more avocadoes than I could eat one year and then very few the next. This varied from field to field and wasn't a rule of thumb. Avocadoes seem to be rebels against any kind of seasonal growth.

[@Erewhon2024]

Lots of trees use mast (overproduction) versus bust years to prevent their entire seed crop from being destroyed. Due to the bust years, predators have a low population and insufficient numbers to consume everything produced during a mast year.

[@Gardeninginpearls]

I love your humor!

[@KGTiberius]

50+ varieties tested on St. Croix, US Virgin Islands in the 1950s. Some are so delicate, they cannot be shipped with skin like paper. Some are so big, they rival grapefruit. Long necks, hooked necks, small seed, large seed…. We call them pear trees and they are even wild. Some old trees, and many yard trees are wild hybrids. Always great to be home during avocado season.

[@debbralehrman5957]

Thanks you always come up with interesting topics.👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[@armandhammer9617]

I lived in Rancho Cucamonga in the early 80s and everyday on the way to school i went through orange lemon and avocado groves. There was one tree that had to be really old because it was huge. Now they're all gone in the name of progress. What a shame

[@BasicDrumming]

I appreciate you and thank you for making content.

[@scottritomanaksimonscott6213]

The Indonesian avocados we are familiar with here in South East Asia look nothing like the Hass avocados, and thanks to your enlightening video I now realise we have been eating and drinking the Fuerte avocado variety!

[@Erewhon2024]

Although he didn't go into the genetics, there are 3 categories, perhaps separate species: West Indian (big, smooth, popular in South Florida before the Redbay Ambrosia Beetle began wiping out all avocados/laurels), Central American, and Mexican (a highland species popular for its better frost tolerance, smaller & bumpier fruit, also the only on with nontoxic foliage, used for teas or as a substitute for bay leaves but more anise flavored). I suspect that in a fully tropical area like Indonesia, the West Indian and Central American types would be more popular.

[@Nicksonian]

The History Guy has educated me on current events. I had no idea that violence has erupted over the fruit that I eat at least once a week.

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

Rather significant violence in some places. But the generic advice to eat fewer avocados deprives people of their source of income. Developing sustainability given demand is a real challenge.

[@Nicksonian]

@ Good to know. Thanks for the response and your great work.

[@fearthehoneybadger]

You know that you have hit the big time when truckloads of avocados are hijacked in Mexico.

[@samsonsoturian6013]

Or when the vigilante landowners start charging each other "war tax" to protect them from other vigilante landowners

[@jonthinks6238]

They had to have armed guards and convoys.

[@wdeterling]

Excellent history. My mother from California introduced me to avocados. I happy to say she did no refer to them as testicles. Your histories are outstanding. These should be required viewing for all school grades and all adults

[@ajg617]

i learned to love avacados in the early 1960s thanks to my mother who would give me half an avacado with salad dressing where the pit used to be. Interestingly, she learned to love it in San Francisco with Green Goddess dressing in the 1930s. I have at least three avacados each week. Love them.

[@Avo7bProject]

I'm trying to grow some in North Carolina. This location is about the outer extreme of what is feasible - as we do get snow here every few years, and nights commonly go below freezing. I did succeed in collecting my first 4 mature fruits last year.

[@KurtfromLaQuinta]

My grandparents settled in Anaheim, California from Minnesota around 1900 and opened up a shoe repair business in downtown.They ended up building a house on a 1/2 acre parcel and had probably 10 avocado trees planted on it. By the time I came around, they were fully mature beast that produced many luscious fruit... both Fuerte and Hass. But my grandparents were very stingy with them My brother and I were recruited every Saturday morning to rake the leaves. A monumental task I wasn't interested in... it was Saturday morning for crying out loud! It did pay a whole sum of .50 each. That didn't last very long thankfully.

[@janerkenbrack3373]

We should be prepared for much more expensive avocados starting next year.

[@goodun2974]

They also require enormous amounts of water to grow, and since water supplies are being purchased by and diverted for the benefit of Big Ag, we can expect domestically produced avocados to become even more expensive while our public water supplies are being subject to higher cost and possible rationing. As groundwater supplies are depleted, homeowners' wells may go dry.

[@janerkenbrack3373]

@@goodun2974 Fewer will be grown, since we will have fewer workers to pick them.

[@jonthinks6238]

​@@goodun2974Saw a documentary on how the big growers stole the water and put small Mexican families out of bus.

[@adalai7649]

This was a great video! I had no idea about the history of the avocado... fascinating! Thanks!

[@nikburton9264]

Love the new outro.

[@Zorglub1966]

In France during the 70's avocado was almost a luxury good, it was sold between 5/10 franc each (about one or two US dollar)

[@williammennell7371]

I grew up in Michigan and never heard of them until I moved to California in 1977, had them as guacamole and wondered what the hell it was. I love it to this day. I sometimes have it put on a BLT. Great

[@abefroman4953]

My great Aunt and Uncle grew them in Southern California in the 40's-90's. Their old farm is now a subdivision.

[@robertshelton3963]

I grew up in Fallbrook California in the 70s. Fallbrook was called, The Avocado Capital. Many groves have disappeared due to the high cost of watering the trees. Avocados need to be grown on well draining slopes. I had Fuerte and Hass Avocado trees. I preferred the Fuerte.

[@marklynch8781]

A classic Guacomole dip, perhaps from San Diego CA. in the 1970s. 1 avocado peeled, pitted and mashed with a fork. mix with 2 teaspoons lemmon juice, 1/4 cup mayo, 1/4 teaspoon onion powder, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder. chill overnight and serve with your favorite chips. To me this taste better than the more modern versions.

[@alastorgdl]

Would you allow Mexicans to call classic the apple pie with chili? Classic guacamole is Mexican, not Taco Bell guacamole. Guacamole doesn't go with garlic but goes with GENEROUS amounts of coriander

[@charlessommers7218]

Great show 👍

[@abrahamdraper1911]

Plant the pits. They grow real quick 🌱

[@lefty-bw1zp]

But the seeds will not bear fruit.

[@abrahamdraper1911]

@lefty-bw1zp No, but they're surprisingly beautiful plants anyway. Large dark green glossy leaves with a hint of the jungle about them.

[@nievedechicharron4837]

​@@lefty-bw1zpEven if you don't get fruit you will get a cool shade

[@oldsarj]

@@abrahamdraper1911 Oh, the seed grown trees will have fruit but it won't be the same as the fruit the seed came from. This is true of the majority of fruit trees.

[@abrahamdraper1911]

@@oldsarj I've never managed to get any fruit at all from an avocado pit. Maybe the N hemisphere climate then?

[@thomosburn8740]

In the late sixties / early seventies we (children) ate avocado all the time in California. After moving to TN in 1978 my family was shocked to see both avocado and citrus fruit prices in the east.

[@airfrere]

In Brazil, I was introduced to avocado shakes -- avocados blended with milk and sugar or ice cream. Despite my initial misgivings, I loved it!

[@kellybasham3113]

Love your videos

[@stevecunningham2759]

I like the commercial Hass avocados but finding the variety of locally grown and regional avocados is a wonderful experience.

[@phalynwilliams4119]

As a New Yorker, I remember as a young girl watching Angie Dickerson’s Avocado 🥑 commercials.

[@k9crazy974]

This popped up in my feed and I just had to watch. Who ever thought of avocados having a history?

[@167curly]

I live in Costa Rica, and to the indigenous pre-Columbian people meat was a rare luxury, but they knew that wild avocadoes were good for them, possibly because of the fruits' good fats.

[@robertwright5487]

I will never see avocados in the same way again 😂.

[@stevecram315]

The First parent Haas avocado 🥑 was just around the corner from my grandparents house. I still remember the plaque and all the tags on it to show where mother stock was taken from the tree 🥑

[@randelbrooks]

since the early 1960s my parents and then I started making avocado dip to a recipe that may have been created by the Frito corn chip company here in Texas. You mash up your avocado when it's ripe and just write, and mix it with an equal amount of small curd cottage cheese a little bit of lemon juice and a sprinkle of Lawery's seasoned salt. And then enjoy it with corn chips. A true cold war treat.

[@alastorgdl]

"You mash up your avocado when it's ripe" Do you mean it's common Europeans eat hard, apple-grade aguacates? Do they even have that name of "avocado for slicing"?

[@bretfisher7286]

I spent decades in horticulture, and, seriously, I know much about avocados and raising the tree. Hass avocados are definitely, from an objective and scientific perspective, superior to many other varieties of avocado. This can happen spontaneously in the biology of plants; many horticultural varieties occur by natural genetic accidents of coincidence. The Fuerte avocado might seem to be misnamed if you're acquainted with the taste of various avocados, since Fuerte avocados are actually much milder in flavor than Hass. Fuerte is a smooth-skinned more delicate fruit containing mild, less oily, less rich fruit. A marvelous treatment of the subject, Sir!

[@larafields3106]

I dislike Hass. Vastly prefer Fuerte and other smooth green varieties. I resent Hass for taking over the market and making other varieties virtually impossible to find where I live.

[@bretfisher7286]

@larafields3106 I understand. I can see someone preferring Fuerte, because it's much milder and more neutral. Hass is actually quite oily and strongly-flavored.

[@drzman6901]

They are great grilled on a BBQ. They turn into smokey butter. Prep is easy and cooking time is minimal. See online for recipes.

[@sevensongs]

So Hass actually purchased his seed from A.R. Rideout who cultivated various varieties including what became known as the Hass avocado. He wasn't interested in selling the fruit really, just creating different varieties. At least that is the impression based on the newspapers of his era that talk about it.

[@elesixestepa373]

Great episode and thanks for the avocado treat.

[@onliwankannoli]

That is one word derivation and image I could’ve gone to my grave without knowing. Thanks History Guy!

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

Yeah, will never quite look at them the same. And I guess no more feeling them in the store to see if they are soft.

[@onliwankannoli]

@ 😂 You’re the best, man!

[@kyrenthang8633]

Wow!/ i've lived in California since a toddler and have always assumed everyone in America had eaten them for centuries everywhere. I remember my mother, who ate them delicately with a spoon, trying to interest me. I grew to love them via the taco, but to the very young they taste like soap. 😄

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

Yes, California availability was different than much of the rest of the nation. Still, they were ot always available year round as they are today.

[@MGB-learning]

Always a Great video!

[@stevehollahan3533]

Worked in avocado research at UCRiverside, and tried many different varieties. Haas is not the best, but easily growm. The bay leaf is a descendant of rhe avocado.

[@ewtam24]

Thank you!

[@stephencoleman3578]

My father had his first avocado as a US Marine during WWII. Most had never seen them. He said it tasted like lard and he spat it out. Years after the war, he learned to like them.

[@krono5el]

yeah most europeans in the Americas hated all the Native foods like tomato, potato, maize, chocolate, and chili peppers, those first few hundred years. not the brightest folk in history.

[@seth8877]

Dude, I DID enjoy this episode of the history guy

[@jeff7.629]

Growing up in Washington state in the 70's, they were called California pears. They were kinda expensive at that time.

[@ikefrye847]

Today: testicle fruit, Monday: kumquats

[@ricksaint2000]

Thank you History guy

[@JoesGuy]

I love Avocado facts!

[@brucecarter8960]

We went to Spain in 1982 on honeymoon. While I was there, I remember reading in the international Herald Tribune about how the Spanish citrus industry had fallen on hard times as a result of competition from Israel and the Philippines, and so they had planted a lot of avocado acreage. However, they did not yet have a market. In Madrid avocados were the equivalent of five cents each! We peeled them and ate them like apples.

[@LocustaVampa]

I love them, though they can get expensive in Canada depending on the time of year. I just feel that they are very healthy, with fats that work easily with the human digestive system.

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

There are price spikes, some caused the the on-year off year cycle. They are topical and don't do well in cold, so not a Canadian crop.

[@goodun2974]

​@@TheHistoryGuyChannel, "topical"? Are you pureeing them and using them for a facial? Please post a photo of you with your avocado face cream! 😁🤣

[@katiekane5247]

​@@goodun2974I'm glad an obvious autocorrect issue tickles you so 😕

[@goodun2974]

@@katiekane5247 , I was making a joke ---- you do have a sense of humor, don't you? ---- and I know darn well it's an auto-correct issue, as autocorrect screws up my comments regularly. Lance, The History Guy, usually takes great pains to be more accurate and proofread what he posts, but this time he missed it. Anyway, unless you're new here you should already know that many of the frequent commenters here love to make jokes and puns. In these dark times we need to use humor to keep our spirits up.

[@MrElaboy]

🥑 are part of my 🇲🇽 culture - an 🍎 a day keeps the doctor away while 🥑 a day keeps the doctor away for life. For those outside California watch the price of 🥑 goes through the roof not just from supply & demand but also any threatened tariffs - glad these grow in my neighborhood & I'm well off to eat one a day for 30 years... nice 👍🏼 🥑 in Costa Rica aren't as good since they're imported from Mexico - inducted member of Phi Alpha Theta here 😎 ✌🏼

[@sallycormier1383]

I’ll never look at avocados the same. 🥑🥑

[@et1161]

Here in Brazil, they are called abacate, have a smooth skin and weigh about 500 g and 1 kg. (what is a kg?). We eat it normally with sugar and lemon juice. It is not exported to other countries.😊

[@putalaweaweonoh]

I live in Chile, in a city named Quillota, a homonym to its province. Here, we produce 2/3 of the national production. So in every house you'll find at least one avocado tree. Sometimes, a lemon tree, too😂

[@Chadswonderfulwalkingtours]

Watching from Mackinac Island Michigan

[@deepblueskyshine]

In 2/3rds of Spanish speaking world it's aguacate, so a person born in the commi eastern Europe found about it from the relatives who engineered and educated Cuba as aguacate, with first guacamole tried, not everywhere and by everyone, but where some government sponsored fruit and vegetables shops existed in some capiral city sometime in the 80s.

[@narabdela]

Run that by me again. 🤔