Avocado, or Alligator pear

Alligator pear, or avocado - it's smallsizes of fruit of South American origin. His so unusual name he got thanks to the British. They were the first to note the similarity of the fetal skin to the dark green color of the crocodile skin.

Alligator pear belongs to the same categoryplants, as camphor, cinnamon and laurel trees. This evergreen fruit plant with a wide crown and fairly brittle branches, capable of reaching a height of fifteen to twenty meters. Moreover, surprisingly, such a tree grows very quickly. The leaves of the alligator pear are broad, leathery, at the end slightly pointed. The tree blossoms in February-April, its white flowers are collected in beautiful paniculate inflorescences. One plant produces an average of about 1000-1200 fruits per year. To fully ripen its fruit requires a lot of water, sun and heat. That's why the historic birthplace of avocados are rightfully considered to be Mexico and Peru. Their mild subtropical and tropical climate is the most optimal conditions for a given tree. Today, on an industrial scale, the alligator pear is grown in the USA, Brazil, Africa, the Hawaiian Islands, Mexico and Israel. These are the main exporting countries of this product.

Currently, there are around the worldmore than four hundred varieties of avocados, each of which differs from drusik in form, color, oil content and weight. Depending on what kind of pear the variety is, the fruit can be covered with a smooth or stiff hummocky skin from almost black to dark green. Inside it is a large heavy bone. The fruit itself can reach up to two kilograms in its mass, but the commercial grade of the pear usually does not exceed 250-300 grams.

The taste of the fruit is very peculiar, its green or yellow-green flesh somewhat resembles a traditional butter with a slight nutty aroma.

In his homeland - in South and Central America -Alligator pear has about the same value as in European countries, bread or meat. Its tender flesh consists of protein and polyunsaturated fatty acids, that is, pure vegetable oil. Together they effectively protect vessels, provide the required amount of energy to the heart muscle, promote better absorption of fat-soluble vitamins. The rest falls on such important for health and beauty trace elements, as folic acid, vitamins A, B, E, C, PP. These substances perfectly strengthen the immunity, have anti-stress and cosmetic properties - moisturize, soften and nourish the skin, restore the structure of weakened hair and rejuvenate the body as a whole.

Separately it is worth noting the influence of glutathione -amino acid, also contained in avocados and protecting against some varieties of cancer, and phytosterol, a fat-like substance responsible for lowering cholesterol. Oil, obtained from the fruits of the alligator pear, has found its application in the modern medical industry. The medicinal preparation, which is made on its basis, is used to treat and prevent parodontosis, scleroderma and arthrosis.

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