Learn about its origins
Home / Avocado How-To / Do you Know it as “Palta” or “Aguacate” in Spanish?
When life gives you Hass avocados, make guacamole.
Because they are grown with extreme care and meticulous attention in their ripening process, which earns them the nickname King of the Avocados.
But where does this delicious fruit come from? (Yes, it is a fruit.) Here we tell you all about it.
Avocados grow well in rainy and humid climates and are native to Mexico, Central America, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Peru, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food (SAGARPA).
Let us now tell you about the plant known scientifically as laurus persea, which has a variety of names around the world, that are much easier to pronounce:
In the United States it is called avocado.
Alligator pear is another name by which the avocado is sometimes called in the United States.
In Mexico, Puerto Rico, Central America and the majority of South America it is called aguacate.
In countries such as Uruguay, Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, and Peru, it is known as palta.
Aguacata is a variant of aguacate, although seldom used.
Cura is another name for avocado in Venezuela.
Pagua is the name given to this fruit in the streets and markets of Cuba.
According to the World Avocado Organization (WAO), Spain is the largest producer in the European region, where it is also called aguacate.
Facts to brag about at your next social gathering
Despite the variety of names for this fruit, the most common in Spanish are aguacate and palta. As for the former, the Dictionary of the Spanish Language (2001) tells us that it comes from the Nahuatl word ahuacatl, or “testicl*”, a rather peculiar name
given due to its shape. The Spaniards adapted it to their language, creating the words aguacata and avocado.
As for palta, the SIMI TAQE Dictionary of the High Academy of the Quechua Language of Ecuador tells us it comes from pallta, which refers to a “bundle of cargo that is carried hanging.
So,
what’s in a name?
It does not matter if we call it palta or aguacate — both names are correct and validated by the Royal Spanish Academy, but we can say that the word aguacate is the oldest name.
Above all, no matter what you call it, this fruit is an undeniable part of Latin culture.
