Avocados, chia seeds, kale, quinoa... When these "expensive" foods are packed in exquisite packaging and placed in a prominent position in the supermarket, they are not only different from other foods, but also have a very different price. However, high price does not represent deliciousness, I believe that many people have labeled it as "expensive and unpalatable" after nibbling on the first bite of avocado, so how did avocado become an Internet celebrity product?
History of avocados
Avocado, formerly known as avocado, is native to Central America. According to records, avocados may be tens of thousands of years old and were once endangered.
The tropical avocado tree can grow up to 20 meters, and its flowers are small, less than 1 cm in diameter, it takes half a year to bear a fruit, and it takes a lot of nutrients, so the setting rate of avocados is very low.
Some biologists believe that Pleistocene megafaunas were the earliest eaters and dispersers of seeds of avocados. More than a million years ago, the American continent was far more biodiverse than people imagined, and the continent was inhabited by Pleistocene herbivorous behemoths such as mammoths, mastodons, ground sloths and glyptodonts.
These behemoths swallow avocados, the bitters contained in the seeds make avocados not often chewed, and the thick flesh can make them stay in the digestive tract of the behemoths for a long time, and finally be taken to distant places, avocados are in this way, the seeds are scattered everywhere, its large seeds are rich in nutrients, can help them take root and germinate in a new environment.
Unfortunately, it may be climate change or the arrival of humans, and the behemoths are gradually extinct. Avocados lose their seed distribution channels, and they are also at risk of extinction. But these avocados that once evolved with the giant beasts are still hanging quietly on the branches, their flesh is still fat, and this time it is no longer the giant beasts that help them continue the race, but Homo sapiens.
Some scholars believe that at that time, Homo sapiens gradually spread and took root on the American continent, and avocados were discovered and saved by these prehistoric "uncle farmers". They love the taste of this food and gradually learn what tools to eat and how to grow them.
During the Azkert period, guacamole was already made, to which chili, garlic, onion, coriander, lime juice or lemon juice were added.
In the 15th century, Spanish navigators lamented in their diaries: "The flesh of the avocado is as delicate as cream, and it tastes pleasant."
In the 18th century, British naval cadets discovered that applying guacamole to a hard biscuit they ate on a voyage had the effect of softening it. Soon, avocados were going to the world under the name of "the butter of the navy".
In 1911, at the age of 21, Carl Schmidt traveled to Mexico and brought back several of the finest avocado trees, but only one fruit tree named "Fuerte" survived the Great California Cold Wave of 1913 and became the foundation of the California avocado industry.
In 1926, California postman Rudolf Hass discovered an avocado tree and named it "Hass tree" after himself, which later became an important variety of avocado.
Since the 90s, with the expansion of Spanish immigrants, avocados have gradually entered American kitchens and even become a must-have food to watch the "Super Bowl" (the annual championship game of Major League Football). His popularity has also expanded from nutritional value to quality of life, and the not low price has also made it labeled as "middle class" and become a symbol of the pursuit of healthy life and quality.
A trip to China with avocados
With globalization and the opening up of the domestic economy, Western-style flavors have been gradually introduced into China, and avocados have also entered the field of vision of domestic consumers. Due to the fruit's strong avocado flavor, avocados are also known as avocados.
Due to its popular background and "superfood" attribute, with the improvement of domestic consumption level and healthy eating awareness, the new middle class who pay attention to high-end healthy eating began to consume avocados.
And with the increase of imports, and the start of the domestic avocado industry, the price of domestic avocados is becoming more and more "close to the people", according to the weight of a single fruit, the price from the initial 80 yuan a "sky-high price" to 6 yuan ~ more than 10 yuan, the pursuit of personality health of the Z generation and fitness people have also become the main consumers of avocados.
The following set of data is a good example of how popular avocados are:
Customs data shows that from 2011 to 2017, China's avocado imports surged from 31.8 tons to 32,000 tons, an increase of about 10,005 times.
In 2021, the import volume of avocados has reached 41,300 tons.
After becoming popular, avocados quickly localized in China and gradually developed a mature industrial chain. In 2021, the domestic avocado market size was 3.086 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 5.9%.
The rise of domestic avocados
Since China first opened Mexican avocado access in 2005, China's avocado market has long been completely occupied by imported products. However, with the successful trial of avocados in China to achieve mass production, and the planting area has expanded, this market pattern has loosened - relevant data show that domestic avocados have successfully replaced the 6% share of imports.
At the same time, it is particularly noteworthy that the logic of substituting domestic avocados for imports is not to seize the market with a low-price strategy, but to achieve consumption upgrading with high-quality products.
Taking the Hema platform as an example, avocados from Chile cost 19.9 yuan per 520 grams, while avocados from Menglian in Yunnan Province sold for 24.8 yuan per 400 grams, which is about 60% higher per 100 grams.
Can Mainland grow quality avocados?
Avocado is a subtropical fruit, and the significant temperature difference between day and night is conducive to improving the quality and yield of avocado. Secondly, avocados need to be grown in loose soil with good air and water permeability, otherwise they are prone to root rot; Finally, extreme weather, such as typhoons, can have a fatal effect on avocado trees.
Subtropical regions such as Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Fujian, Taiwan and Yunnan have basic climatic conditions for growing avocados. However, typhoons are frequent in Hainan Island in summer, and the soil in Guangxi is mostly clay, and the water permeability is poor... After screening through elimination, one place stands out: Menglian Dai Lahu Wa Autonomous County in Pu'er City, Yunnan Province – coincidentally, Menglian means "good place to find" in Dai.
Menglian, a small border city located in the southwest corner of Yunnan, is fully known as Menglian Dai Lahu Wa Autonomous County, across the river from Myanmar. It is located at 22 degrees north latitude, very similar to the city of Ulabang, Michoacán, Mexico, known as the "avocado capital of the world", with an average annual temperature of about 20 degrees Celsius, no severe cold in winter, no scorching heat in summer, and sufficient rainfall. At the same time, parts of Menglian belong to karst landforms and have strong soil drainage capacity, so they are particularly suitable for the growth of avocado trees.
Today, Menglian County has 70,400 mu of avocado planting, accounting for about 80% of domestic avocados, becoming a veritable "hometown of Chinese avocados".
Recently, 15,000 mu of avocados that have been put into production in Menglian County have matured.
Image source: Xinhua News Agency
In Menglian County, people have also developed a variety of ways to eat avocados: avocado dipped in mustard, fried avocado, sauerkraut with avocado, cucumber dipped in avocado hot sauce, avocado fried meatballs, avocado boiled porridge, avocado stewed chicken...
I wonder if this Chinese dish made from domestic avocados will be more appetizing?
When Homo sapiens first tore the skin of an avocado,
Can he imagine that,
In the distant future,
Its seeds,
Will it take root on the other side of the globe?
Some sources: Xinhua News Agency, Foodaily Daily Food, China Rural Network, International Fruits and Vegetables, Hedgehog Commune, Green Plant Talk, Sight TV, Three Kitchens
* Some pictures come from the Internet, if you encounter infringement, please contact us to delete.