How did avocado become a posh food?

Ubbquittious

Every now and then some food waltzes into the spotlight and becomes the thing for all the trendy folk to eat. But what causes this? In recent years a few other ones have come and gone. Kale, goji berries quinoa


I remember having avocados way back in the day and we were poor back then. I certainly wasn't getting the first use of the bathwater that time and even now you can buy em in Lidl for about 79c.

Spanish Eyes

Marketing.

Smashed avocado me nerves!

Porridge for the plebs. But it is the best ��

freshpopcorn

Instagram!

BDI

The big man that funds the government buys up a truckload of them, tells the paper and Instagram to report how students are showing how rich they are by eating them, tells the daily mail that everything else causes cancer.

User142

Avocados were grown seasonally in California. They weren't available all year round in the US and imports weren't allowed. When the anti fat craze kicked into gear the Avocado Industry funded ad campaigns to maintain avocado image as a premium healthy superfood in the US throughout this period. This built its current reputation. NAFTA removed the block on Mexican avocados gradually. Avocados can be grown year round in Mexico so supply shot up and popularity soared due to this availability. That popularity spread.

Gwynplaine

Hipsters

c.p.w.g.w

User142 wrote: »

Avocados were grown seasonally in California. They weren't available all year round in the US and imports weren't allowed. When the anti fat craze kicked into gear the Avocado Industry funded ad campaigns to maintain avocado image as a premium healthy superfood in the US throughout this period. This built its current reputation. NAFTA removed the block on Mexican avocados gradually. Avocados can be grown year round in Mexico so supply shot up and popularity soared due to this availability. That popularity spread.

Someone recently watched Rotten on Netflix

Beechwoodspark

Wouldn’t say it’s posh. It’s expensive. There’s a difference!

I don’t think the likes of the queen of England or some other posh type is milling avacodao toast into them

joeguevara

Sick of avocados and whoever makes them better come up with better toys inside. Last five I bought had l
Ittle wooden balls inside.

Ted_YNWA

Quinoa must rate highly on the 'posh' list too.

Never heard of the stuff a few years ago.

JohnnyFlash

They aren’t even that nice. Very bland. I know I’d much rather a big fry for the breakfast than some avocado spread on a cracker made from millet.

Beechwoodspark

Yeah but avocado is good fat or something ....

RobbingBandit

Guacamole for all the hipster dipsters

c.p.w.g.w

Ted_YNWA wrote: »

Quinoa must rate highly on the 'posh' list too.

Never heard of the stuff a few years ago.

It's causing all sorts of environmental and social issues in Bolivia & Peru

Ubbquittious

JohnnyFlash wrote: »

They aren’t even that nice. Very bland. I know I’d much rather a big fry for the breakfast than some avocado spread on a cracker made from millet.

The trick is to put a nice pinch of salt on them. Still I woulnd't be ranting and raving about how good they are

Ted_YNWA wrote: »

Quinoa must rate highly on the 'posh' list too.

Never heard of the stuff a few years ago.

It's like eating porridge made out of rye bread. Not terrible but needs a good sauce to give it flavour

Richard Hillman

Beechwoodspark wrote: »

Wouldn’t say it’s posh. It’s expensive. There’s a difference!

I don’t think the likes of the queen of England or some other posh type is milling avacodao toast into them

They are 70c and you'll get 2 light breakfasts with a couple of slices of toast.

Ted_YNWA

c.p.w.g.w wrote: »

It's causing all sorts of environmental and social issues in Bolivia & Peru

Ubbquittious wrote: »

The trick is to put a nice pinch of salt on them. Still I woulnd't be ranting and raving about how good they are






It's like eating porridge made out of rye bread. Not terrible but needs a good sauce to give it flavour

Just like avocados, have never tried it, and don't have any urge to try them out.

I'm a marketers worst nightmare, pay absolute no heed to current trends on anything.

andekwarhola

It's the ultimate modern food. Healthy; bland; tastes of little; photographs well.

JohnnyFlash

I presume all these environmental types and those suffering with eco-anxiety will stop eating avocados considering the outrageous amounts of water used in their production, and the energy used in shipping/flying them here?

cj maxx

They're nice in mashed spuds

JohnnyFlash

cjmc wrote: »

They're nice in mashed spuds

So is butter and salt.

tayto lover

Agree OP.

Also calamari??? Battered rubber bands.

Giblet

Avocados require a lot of water, and as we all know, water is the most valuable resource in the world.

Water takes second place to being seen as ricer than your social circle.

blinding

They look like testicles and women love licking testicles .

milehip

cjmc wrote: »

They're nice in mashed spuds

For real?

JohnnyFlash

blinding wrote: »

They look like testicles and women love licking testicles .

If your balls are green, dude, then I’d suggest you close down the laptop and visit a doctor pronto.

blinding

JohnnyFlash wrote: »

If your balls are green, dude, then I’d suggest you close down the laptop and visit a doctor pronto.

Thats why they get licked so much....often mistaken for Avocados .

That green dye was the best investment I ever made .

Blanco100

mate of mine used to get confused between avocado and a certain 4 legged mammal, not on sight of them, rather the 2 words.

Checking the fridge one day he lost the head when he thought someone had eaten his armadillo

They’re lovely on toast with salt and black pepper. Mmmmmmmm

Ted_YNWA

Blanco100 wrote: »

mate of mine used to get confused between avocado and a certain 4 legged mammal, not on sight of them, rather the 2 words.

Checking the fridge one day he lost the head when he thought someone had eaten his armadillo

That 's a Dime bar that most people mix up with armadillos.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwTHVZHqSb0

BoJack Horseman

I had avocado for the first time this summer.

It was in a "salad" with black pudding ...

Maybe its because black pudding enhances everything, but avocado tasted great!

So smooth and earthy.

Conall Cernach

Ted_YNWA wrote: »

Quinoa must rate highly on the 'posh' list too.

Never heard of the stuff a few years ago.

Yeah I did that Quin O A pronunciation in the work canteen a couple of years ago much to the amusement of the female staff. The other lads were as bemused as myself as to what the feck it was.

cj maxx

milehip wrote: »

For real?

Yeah, might need salt and garlic as well , Google the recipe.

It will be something else next year.

Big Nasty

Conall Cernach wrote: »

Yeah I did that Quin O A pronunciation in the work canteen a couple of years ago much to the amusement of the female staff. The other lads were as bemused as myself as to what the feck it was.

My woman brought the sh1t home. Thought it was bland and tasteless. Soon as I found out it's pronounced "Keen-Wa' it went on the banned list

the beer revolu

I always thought of avocados as a 70s thing that never went away. No idea why people think they are a new fad.

Quinoa, I first came across in around 2004, seemed like a new fad then.

c.p.w.g.w

Big Nasty wrote: »

My woman brought the sh1t home. Thought it was bland and tasteless. Soon as I found out it's pronounced "Keen-Wa' it went on the banned list

It's pretty like couscous just more damaging to the environment and more of a pain to cook...

The reason I keep mentioning the environment is that many vegans lark on about quinoa and avocados has great for you and better than eating animal proteins and fats. Yet a steak produced in Ireland is doing a lot less damage that quinoa & avocado

Bobby Baccala

c.p.w.g.w wrote: »

It's pretty like couscous just more damaging to the environment and more of a pain to cook...

The reason I keep mentioning the environment is that many vegans lark on about quinoa and avocados has great for you and better than eating animal proteins and fats. Yet a steak produced in Ireland is doing a lot less damage that quinoa & avocado

Whatever about cattle being bad for the environment and that, avocados have fúcking air miles on them by the time they get to the shelves

meeeeh

tayto lover wrote: »

Agree OP.

Also calamari??? Battered rubber bands.

Calamari are great but you have to cook them really quickly or long. In between and you will get rubber. They are also probably the cheapest sea food you will get in Mediterranean countries.

I like avocado too but not hard and unripened stuff. I don't buy them often because quality isn't always there, I know the human cost and because I tend to eat enough for four breakfasts in one go when I have them at home.

Anyway it's not exactly posh but it is fashionable. I don't think there would be any sustainability issues if only people who actually like the taste ate them.

The Rape of Lucretia

I thought they were more a snowflake food than a posh food ?

Effects

Big Nasty wrote: »

Soon as I found out it's pronounced "Keen-Wa' it went on the banned list

Would have no issue with it if they gave it a different name from where it originated, like 'round rice' or something?

dartboardio

When people say 'avocado isn't even that nice' it makes me cringe.. Yes, plain avocado with no seasoning is actually rotten enough!

Avocado drowned in lime/lemon juice with some salt and pepper, few chopped tomatoes and red onion turned into guacamole, DELICIOUS

Even better if served on chilli con carne or nachos with sour cream and spicy salsa sauce mm

Effects

The Rape of Lucretia wrote: »

I thought they were more a snowflake food than a posh food ?

Nothing worse than hipster snowflakes like yourself getting offended at people eating different foods.

andekwarhola

BoJack Horseman wrote: »

Maybe its because black pudding enhances everything, but avocado tasted great!

So smooth and earthy.

Be careful dude. It's a gateway. Next thing you know, you'll be riding blithely down Stoneybatter on a penny farthing. :pac:

Ipso

dartboardio wrote: »

When people say 'avocado isn't even that nice' it makes me cringe.. Yes, plain avocado with no seasoning is actually rotten enough!

Avocado drowned in lime/lemon juice with some salt and pepper, few chopped tomatoes and red onion turned into guacamole, DELICIOUS

Even better if served on chilli con carne or nachos with sour cream and spicy salsa sauce mm

You were doing good until your last sentence.

the beer revolu

dartboardio wrote: »

When people say 'avocado isn't even that nice' it makes me cringe.. Yes, plain avocado with no seasoning is actually rotten enough!

If it's a decent avocado, I love it just halved and eaten with a teaspoon.

dartboardio

Ipso wrote: »

You were doing good until your last sentence.

You disagree? Madness!

JupiterKid

Avocado is pure rank - disgusting to taste and a rotten texture in the mouth.

Guacamole, on the other hand, when well made is rather delicious. But basically the avocado is puréed and its taste is heavily masked by onion, chili, garlic and seasonings.

There is also nothing novel about avocados at all....they were readily available in large supermarkets back in the 1980s when I was a small child. There are huge environmental costs in their production and distribution.

Vita nova

the beer revolu wrote: »

I always thought of avocados as a 70s thing that never went away. No idea why people think they are a new fad.

Quinoa, I first came across in around 2004, seemed like a new fad then.

Don't remember avocados being unusually popular in the 70s, not saying it wasn't the case just don't remember it, however, avocado bathroom suites were all the rage.

gozunda

c.p.w.g.w wrote: »

It's causing all sorts of environmental and social issues in Bolivia & Peru

Good overview of commercial production of Avocados here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkaT8yYs9qs

.....

Used to think they were bland and pointless till I had one done well. Little french cafe next to my gaff has a pretty amazing combo deal with an avocado tartine as part of it.