Avocado Craze

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Avocados are enjoying a lot of popularity in South Korea thanks in large part to their great flavor, smooth creamy texture and health benefits. On today’s close up, we get to the core of South Korea’s avocado craze.

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Avocados, called the butter of the forest, are a tropical fruit grown in Mexico among other locales. It used to be unfamiliar to Koreans. However, it is easy to find them in supermarkets or groceries in Korea these days. Korea's imports of avocados have surged more than six-fold over the past six years. That is because of the fruit's various nutritional and health benefits.

[Soundbite] Prof. Moon Bo-kyung (Chung-Ang University): "Avocados are rich in potassium and help remove sodium from the body. It also contains a high content of fat. But most of the fat is unsaturated fatty acids that help lower cholesterol levels in blood and prevent hypertension, heart disease and artery hardening."

This restaurant is famous for specializing in avocado-based dishes. In particular, guacamole is the most popular.

[Soundbite] Jang Min-jeong (Mexican Restaurant Employee): "Guacamole is a sauce native Mexicans make with avocado. It is a representative Mexican dish made of mashed avocado and multiple other ingredients."

At this restaurant, the process of making guacamole is open to public view. First, the flesh of a ripe avocado is spooned out. Some lemon juice is lightly sprinkled to prevent the browning of the green flesh. Next, salt is added. After being mashed up to a smooth texture, the avocado is mixed well with chopped coriander, onions, jalapeno peppers and tomatoes. Guacamole is served with crisp chips or tortillas... a type of thin, unleavened flatbread.

[Soundbite] Kim Ah-reum (Gyeonggi-do Prov. Resident): "This is the first time I tried out avocado. It tastes flavorful and refreshing this way."

Avocados can be easily used and enjoyed at home. Commercially, avocados ripen after harvest. So it is important to ripen the fruit to an appropriate degree when you eat it at home.

[Soundbite] Jeong Min (Culinary Expert): "Avocados in green skin are unripe with a puckery taste. A darker color indicates that the fruit is ripe well and ready to be eaten."

Blocking exposure to light and air is crucial to ripen avocados properly. So it is recommended that each avocado is wrapped in aluminum foil and left to stand at room temperature for two or three days. If you want to shorten the ripening period, you can store avocados with apples in the same bag. Ethylene gas emitted by apples helps promote the ripening of avocados.

[Soundbite] Jeong Min (Culinary Expert): "Use paper kitchen towels for storing ripe avocados. Avocados wrapped in paper kitchen towels can be stored in the vegetable section of a refrigerator or a kimchi refrigerator for three or four days."

Let's make a delectable meal with avocado. An avocado is split in half when it is cut deep vertically and twisted with both hands. The single large, hard seed can be removed easily when it is twisted with a knife. The flesh is scooped out of the skin with a spoon and then sliced. Pollack spawn is seasoned with cooking wine, pepper and sesame oil. The avocado slices, baby vegetables, a fried egg and a spoonful of pollack spawn are placed atop hot rice. Enjoy avocado in various ways and take advantage of its health benefits to the fullest.