The avocado is one of my favorite fruits. I first tasted one when I was little, in Florida, with my auntie. She had oranges, lemons, limes, and avocados in her yards. We could just pick them from the trees. We went out to gather a few of each, and she made me breakfast with what we had picked.
She toasted Cuban bread, cut and mashed the avocado with a bit of fresh garlic and salt. The toast was thick and very brown. She spread the green fruit over the bread, salted the fruit, and squirted lime juice over it. One bite and I was in love. She told me that I was eating a fruit, a very special one, one that was healthy but not sweet. Sweet didn’t matter to me, as I was delighted by the buttery, smooth, savory and brand-new flavor.
I ate avocado toast every day that week. My aunt would change the citrus juice, or the bread, or the seasoning, but the fruit itself was what we loved. I didn’t know that once I returned to Kansas in 1974 that avocados were “exotic,” and wildly expensive, and usually hard as rocks.
I’m glad, that over the course of forty years, avocados are now easily found in almost every grocery store. A ripe one gives to gentle pressure but isn’t too soft. They shouldn’t be refrigerated, but eaten as soon as possible. Cut it open, remove the seed, and scoop it out of the skin with a spoon. Simple is best when it comes to seasoning. Add a bit of vinegar or a splash of lime, some salt and some pepper to add zest if you want. For me, simple is best.
Song "Avocado," by Small Potatoes.