Carol Posted on April 13 2017

What do Avocados and Aardvarks have in common?

Not a darn thing! But since I have your attention....

Last week I had an amazing appetizer (recipe to follow) and "NO" It wasn't sauteed Aardvark. It was deep fried Avocado which got me to thinking about it's origin. Turns out that 95% of all avocados are Hass and they are also called Alligator Pears. Here is a brief run down.

This culinary gift was due to the tinkering of a mailman from Ventura, CA named Rudolph Hass. Rudolph grew interested in the thick-skinned fruit after he saw a magazine ad with dollar bills growing on an avocado tree.

He began purchasing seeds with the hope of launching a side gig, and grafted out the initial sprouts to multiply his crop. It started with one stubborn baby tree, grown from a Guatemalan seed of unknown parentage. When it finally produced the fruit was amazing. The 65' mother tree stood beside the Hass homestead in La Habra Heights until 2002 when it succumbed to the dreaded root rot. So now you know the rest of the story!

Click the image below for the healthy version of this delicious Oven Fried Avocado! Do you think an avocado colored necklace would sell?