The Incredible Avocado

 

We really can’t discuss typical Mexican food without mentioning “avocado.”  The avocado is now an international commodity and is exported worldwide.  Many visitors to Pátzcuaro’s Hotel Mansion Iturbe are interested in learning more about the avocados from Michoacan.


Nachos with Avocado

Michoacan is currently the highest producer of avocado in the country, and the “Patzcuaro District,” which includes Ario de Rosales, Erongarícuaro, Huiramba, Pátzcuaro, Salvador Escalante, Tacámbaro, Quiroga, Turicato and Tzintzuntzan, is the highest producer in the State of Michoacán.  Second place is the “Uruapan District,” which includes Charapan, Nuevo Parangaricutiro, Tancítaro, Taretan, Tingambato, Uruapan, and Ziracuaretiro.


Avocados from Michoacan Mexico

Avocado is actually considered a fruit.  The most common use is in guacamole, but it is also a prime ingredient in avocado salad, spicy avocado sauce with green tomatoes, crème of avocado, and the traditional avocado with rice.  Believe it or not, we also have an amazing avocado ice cream, created from traditional recipes of the region. Typically, the avocado is also part of the famous shrimp cocktail sauce, which is WAY different from the shrimp cocktail of the US.  Find a recipe for it at the bottom of the article.  Try it – you’ll love it!


Avocado with rice



Avocado Ice Cream from Tacámbaro, Michoacan, Mexico.

The beloved avocado goes back at least 7,000 years, and originated in the state of Puebla, Mexico. The native, undomesticated variety is known as a criollo, and is small, with dark black skin, and contains a large seed



Avocado Hass

While the criollo and many other varieties are grown, the Hass avocado is today the most desired and accounts for 80% of cultivated avocados in the world.  All Hass avocado trees are descended from a single "mother tree" raised by a mail carrier named Rudolph Hass of La Habra Heights, California.  Hass patented the productive tree in 1935. The "mother tree", of uncertain subspecies, died of root rot and was cut down in September, 2002.  Hass trees have medium-sized (150–250 g), ovate fruit with a black, pebbled skin. The flesh has a nutty, rich flavor with 19% oil.



Delicious Avocado

The avocado is one of the healthiest fruits imaginable: “good fats” and low in carbohydrates; great for those wanting to lower their cholesterol intake; high in antioxidants; source of vitamins A, B, C, E, and K, as well as other important nutrients like iron, phosphorus, copper, magnesium, and potassium.

Here’s the recipe we promised:

• 1 pound cooked small shrimp
• ¾ cup ketchup
• ¼ cup Mexican hot sauce
• ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 small white onion, chopped
• 1½ cups Clamato juice or spicy V8
• Salt
• 1 avocado, halved, pitted, peeled, sliced crosswise
• saltines
• 2 limes, cut into wedges

Stir together the ketchup, hot sauce, cilantro, lime juice, white onion, and juice in a medium-sized bowl. Taste to see if it needs salt, and some if you think it needs it. Add shrimp and stir well.

(Optional:  It’s common to add orange soda – yes, orange soda! – to the mix.  For this recipe, we would suggest adding ½ cup.)

Serve the shrimp and sauce in cocktail or tall “malted shake” glasses. Garnish with slices of avocado, and serve with lime wedges and crackers.


*Text and pictures property of Hotel Mansión Iturbe.

We invite you to check our blog there is plenty of information that we hope can be useful for you, here are some post that can be interesting for you:

Mexican cuisine acknowledged with the Star Diamonds Award

Artisan Exhibition of Night of the Dead in Patzcuaro

Discover the Magic Town of Tacambaro



Hotel Mansion Iturbe
Portal Morelos 59
Plaza Vasco de Quiroga
61600 Patzcuaro, Michoacan
Mexico

For more information about our Hotel in Patzcuaro

Reservations online at Hotel Mansion Iturbe

Tels: +52 (434) 342 0368 / 342 3628

Fax: +52 (434) 342 3627

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