The Ark of Taste by David S Shields

Author:David S Shields [Kennedy Lord, Giselle & S. Shields, David & Pearson, Claudia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-08-22T00:00:00+00:00

WILSON POPENOE Avocado

US ORIGIN OR MOST PREVALENT IN

Florida

CHARACTERISTICS

Tannins, strong umami notes, and a much creamier flesh than other avocados

USDA PLANT HARDINESS ZONES

9a–10a

CLOSE RELATIVE

Zutano avocado

NOTABLE PRODUCER

Pine Island Nursery

In the 1910s, the US Department of Agriculture dispatched a plant hunter to Central America with the mission to locate as many avocado varieties as could be found. The USDA’s goal was to create new commercial crops by growing out plant products found in other parts of the world on American soil. The plant hunter’s name was Wilson Popenoe, and the California Avocado Growers Association formed in part to fund Popenoe’s expedition. Of the dozens of avocados that he collected, only one was named after Popenoe.

Before he had even brought back what would become his namesake avocado, the Fuerte variety that Popenoe collected became the focus of intense cultivation (see here). The Fuerte possessed the requisite size, durability, and productivity of a mass-market product. In 1923, after the success of this variety, Popenoe predicted that “the culture of avocados will someday become even more than citrus culture in Florida and California.” He soon returned to Central America to secure more varieties, including a large avocado that he shipped from Honduras to Florida in 1925. It was tapered like a semi-deflated football and sometimes assumed even stranger and more extenuated shapes. The productivity was modest, a defect that might have relegated the variety to history. However, it had a complex flavor unlike any other avocado—with tannins, strong umami notes, and a much creamier flesh. In 1966, the stock was replenished by a second shipment of young trees to Miami from Lancetilla Botanical Garden and Research Center in Tela, Honduras.

The Floridian who nominated the Wilson Popenoe avocado to the Ark of Taste wrote, “The Popenoe avocado is an enormous (up to half a kilogram), oval shaped avocado. It has shiny, green, smooth skin. The texture is firm, yet juicy, described as almost melon-like. This avocado has an unusual flavor, described as having a tannic effect on the palate. It has also been described as having a ‘rubber or canvas scent.’ The texture is creamier than most avocados and it is good for use in chopped salads.” For nearly a century, a small community of avocado savants kept individual Wilson trees for themselves. The fruit would be shared only with those who were knowledgeable about the variety.

AVOCADOS EVOLVED TO FEED SLOTHS

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