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Distributed for Reaktion Books

Avocado

A Global History

Distributed for Reaktion Books

Avocado

A Global History

The avocado is arguably the most iconic food of the twenty-first century. In less than one-hundred years, it has gone from a little-known regional delicacy to global embrace and social media fame. This may seem like an astounding trajectory for a fruit that isn’t sweet, that gets bitter when it is cooked, and has perhaps the oddest texture of any fruit or vegetable. But it is precisely the avocado’s contradictions that have contributed to its ascent: the idea that this rich and delicious fruit is also healthy despite being fatty and energy-dense grants it unicorn status with modern eaters, especially millennials.
 
Through lively anecdotes, colorful pictures, and delicious recipes, Jeff Miller explores the meteoric rise of the avocado, from its coevolution with the megaherbivores of the Pleistocene to its acceptance by the Spanish conquistadors in Mexico, to its current dominance of food consumers’ imaginations.

144 pages | 50 color plates, 10 halftones | 4 3/4 x 7 3/4 | © 2020

Edible

Food and Gastronomy

History: General History


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Reviews

"A welcome addition to the Reaktion food series. . . . Filled with splendid facts, figures, and illustrations. . . . This is a fascinating story, beautifully told."

Marion Nestle, professor emerita of nutrition, food studies, and public health, New York University, author of "Unsavory Truth: How Food Companies Skew the Science of What We Eat"

Table of Contents

1 The History of the Avocado
2 Growing Avocados
3 Selling an Odd, but Nutritious, Fruit
4 Eating Avocados and Other Uses
Appendix: Types of Avocado
Recipes

References
Further Reading
Websites and Associations
Acknowledgements
Photo Acknowledgements
Index

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