What do avocados and ancient calendars have in common? Believe it or not, the avocado was so important to the Maya that it even represented a month in their calendar! From ancient myths to modern kitchens, this fascinating fruit has stories and surprises galore. Ready to peel back the layers and test your avocado knowledge? Dive into these 54 trivia questions and discover why the avocado truly deserves its superfood status!
1. Question: What country produces the majority of avocados found in grocery stores?
Answer: Mexico.
2. Question: What plant family does the avocado tree belong to?
Answer: Lauraceae, the flowering-plant family.
3. Question: What type of fruit are avocados classified as, contrary to popular belief that they are vegetables?
Answer: Berries.
4. Question: What botanical characteristics qualify avocados as berries?
Answer: They develop from a flower with one ovary and contain seeds.
5. Question: Around what time and region is avocado cultivation first evidenced?
Answer: As early as 5000 BC in Central and South America.
6. Question: Which U.S. city consumes the most avocados?
Answer: Los Angeles.
7. Question: In which tropical regions did avocados originally grow?
Answer: Mexico, Guatemala, and the West Indies.
8. Question: Which three countries are the world’s largest avocado exporters?
Answer: Mexico, The Netherlands, and Chile.
9. Question: Which ancient people are believed to have first domesticated avocado trees around 5,000 years ago?
Answer: Mesoamerican tribes.
10. Question: Instead of discarding them, what can avocado peels and pits be used for?
Answer: Making a natural dye.
11. Question: What surprising color can be created by boiling avocado peels and pits?
Answer: A delicate pink hue.
12. Question: Which avocado variety is ideal for mashing and whipping?
Answer: Hass avocados.
13. Question: Which pop star has an avocado tattoo on her left tricep?
Answer: Miley Cyrus.
14. Question: What day sees the highest avocado consumption in the U.S.?
Answer: Super Bowl Sunday.
15. Question: What unusual millennial food trend involved using an avocado peel?
Answer: The “avolatte,” a latte served in an avocado peel.
16. Question: In what cuisine are avocado leaves used like corn husks to wrap food?
Answer: Oaxacan Mexican cuisine.
17. Question: What are the two national days dedicated to celebrating avocados?
Answer: National Avocado Day (July 31) and National Guacamole Day (September 16).
18. Question: Which fruit contains more potassium: avocado or banana?
Answer: Avocado.
19. Question: What symbolic meaning did avocados have for the Aztecs?
Answer: Avocados were considered a fertility symbol.
20. Question: What type of fats do avocados contain that are beneficial for health?
Answer: Monounsaturated fats.
21. Question: Which natural gas do avocados release that speeds up their ripening?
Answer: Ethylene gas.
22. Question: Name three fruits that, when stored with avocados, can speed up the avocado’s ripening process.
Answer: Bananas, apples, and kiwis.
23. Question: Who was the Hass avocado named after?
Answer: Rudolph Hass.
24. Question: When was the Hass avocado first cultivated?
Answer: In the 1920s.
25. Question: Which indigenous people first cultivated avocados and gave them their original name?
Answer: The Nahuatl people of Mexico.
26. Question: How long can avocados remain on the tree before being picked?
Answer: Up to eighteen months.
27. Question: In which Mexican state is the avocado believed to have originated around 10,000 B.C.?
Answer: Puebla.
28. Question: Which European explorers were the first to consume avocados during the 16th century?
Answer: Spanish conquistadors.
29. Question: Who named the avocado in a Jamaican-plants catalog in 1696?
Answer: Sir Hans Sloane.
30. Question: What alternative name did Sir Hans Sloane give to the avocado tree?
Answer: The “alligator pear tree.”
31. Question: Which U.S. states helped popularize avocados before they went mainstream?
Answer: Florida, California, and Hawaii.
32. Question: Which actor owns a ranch formerly owned by Dean Martin and grows avocados there?
Answer: Tom Selleck.
33. Question: What other celebrity, known for both acting and music, grows avocados on his 40-acre ranch?
Answer: Jamie Foxx.
34. Question: What unique feature does Jamie Foxx’s avocado ranch include?
Answer: A recording studio.
35. Question: Which parts of the avocado are potentially toxic to cats and dogs?
Answer: The peel and pit.
36. Question: Which European country is considered the avocado hub of Europe and beyond?
Answer: The Netherlands.
37. Question: What is the most readily available variety of avocado?
Answer: Hass (also known as avocado pear or alligator pear).
38. Question: What refreshing summer treat can be made using avocados?
Answer: Avocado popsicles.
39. Question: Besides savory dishes, what sweet treats can be made using avocado?
Answer: Pudding and custard.
40. Question: To which genus and plant family does the avocado belong?
Answer: Genus Persea, Lauraceae family.
41. Question: Why do avocado trees need to be planted in pairs?
Answer: They don’t self-pollinate.
42. Question: What do avocados symbolize in Aztec culture?
Answer: Love and fertility.
43. Question: Where was the original Hass avocado tree discovered?
Answer: In a California mailman’s backyard in the 1930s.
44. Question: What baking ingredient can avocado replace for a healthier option?
Answer: Butter.
45. Question: What was a former nickname for avocados?
Answer: Alligator pears.
46. Question: Are avocados safe for pets like dogs, cats, or rabbits?
Answer: No, they are poisonous to most pets.
47. Question: Which famous sushi roll was invented when a Japanese chef in California substituted tuna with avocado in the 1960s?
Answer: The California Roll.
48. Question: What joint-related condition may avocado extract help relieve?
Answer: Arthritis pain.
49. Question: What does it mean if the small nub of stem at the top of an avocado wiggles?
Answer: The avocado is ripe.
50. Question: Which two avocado varieties are next most popular in California after the Hass?
Answer: Lamb Hass and GEM.
51. Question: How long does it take to grow a single California avocado?
Answer: 14 to 18 months.
52. Question: Does storing the pit in guacamole keep it from browning?
Answer: No, that’s a myth—it doesn’t prevent browning.
53. Question: What food service offers baby avocado as a side option?
Answer: Thistle.
54. Question: In which countries is avocado commonly blended with sugar and milk for dessert?
Answer: Indonesia and the Philippines.
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