LITERANISTA Dialogue on Multicultural Books, Tech & Life

Literanista February 3, 2013

Did you know?

An avocado tree as a houseplant (Wikipedia)

The original Aztec name for the avocado is ahuacatl, meaning “testicle,” an obvious reference to the shape of the fruit and was considered to possess aphrodisiac qualities. 


The early explorers had a hard time with the Aztec name and it was soon adapted by the Spaniards to ahuacate and aguacate, since it sounded like the early Spanish word avocado (now abogado), meaning lawyer. 

Now Go Grow a Pear

Now if your mom or grandmother was anything like mine, any time she used an aguacate, she saved the pit. Mostly, I recall that she planted them and grew her own little avocado trees. I had to smile when I came across Inhabitat’s handy-dandy guide, complete with photos, on how to grow an avocado tree from seed. Who knew that mami and abuelita were eco DIY trendsetters?

And, if by any chance you’re a guacamole fanatic like me, who knows you may even be making or enjoying some this weekend, here are 20 other surprising uses for that avocado seed/pit besides actually ingesting it.