Try a touch of salt.

Latino here, surprised how somebody would not like avocado while i eat some fried flautas with fresh cheese, cream and avocado on top; My family rarely eats avocado alone; We add it to a soup to give it a fresh taste. mash it; put peppers cilantro, olive oil, onions and a pinch of salt and lime juice to make guacamole; add it to tuna salad, in fact we add it to everything with fish on it; including ceviche, fried fish tacos and tostadas. Some soups and stews can taste great with a few slices of avocado, like tortilla soup, bone marrow soup and caldo tlalpeño.

You can mix it with dried bacon or cream cheese and make a great dip for potato chips.

Smoked mussles + mashed avocados + onions, tomatoes and lime juice, to snack with with tortilla chips.

Avocado is inexpensive where i live so it's a common ingredient for most recipes, as a fresh buttery flavor to add with some lime and salt to compliment something spicy. It tends to neutralize spicy flavors, so it's also something nice to add in particularly "hot" food for someone new to those type of flavors.

At least in the Americas, you don't buy avocado for sweetness. It's basically a replacement for fat (with fats of its own). Think turkey bacon avocado, for example: turkey is a leaner meat, avocado supplements that, and bacon adds flavor and saltiness.

If you must get something sweet out of it, I've had good luck mixing it with a sprinkle of sugar, a splash of lime juice, and a little hot sauce if you want to be frisky.

Seems like you're missing the part of the internet with, like, recipes. How did you manage to get here, without looking up Avocado on or as food?

Without getting too foodie about it. Its blandness is its strength, it adds moisture and a creamy texture to foods, especially salads sandwiches and tacos without using unnecessary oil or animal fats and it counts as a fruit/vegetable in your diet.

The quality can vary by the avocado. If it is slightly stringy, brown or metallic, the fruit is bad. Even a good avocado still has a mild flavor. I think that avocado is good with salt, cumin, tomato salsa, or garlic powder. In some recipes, people add cilantro or lime juice, too.

Avocados are good for sandwiches, but you can also make guacamole dip with them. The guacamole pairs with chips. I don't think people eat avocados on their own very much.

It seems you’re expecting it to act as a fruit. Avocados are used as gourmet ingredients in the west. If you want a sweeter application of it, look up southeast asian desserts made from avocado. It’s usually combined with milk, sugar, and sometimes ice to make it cold and refreshing.

You seem to be expecting a sweet fruit. It isn’t that. It’s fatty and savory. Your post reads like “Fruit is really expensive in my area so I started buying butter… why does anyone like this stuff?”

Spread it on bread and sprinkle on some taco seasoning and salt. You’ll thank me.

Little bit of salt and a squeeze of lime, maybe some cilantro, and you can put that shit on most anything!

Weird Asian hack for ya, Avo + soy sauce on rice is weirdly very good. Wife does that sometimes, sometimes with other stuff like natto.

Avcados need salt and acid to be good. Next time try in a salad with a sharp dressing; or just cubed with lime juice, chili powder, and salt. It's amazing added to a bowl (but not the pot!) of chicken soup.

I think some people genuinely like the taste, but I'm with you - they just taste kind of 'meh'. Certainly not as nice as most other things.

They are extremely healthy, though - they're considered a top-tier superfood.

It’s OK to not like stuff that everyone else likes. It happens.

It does taste like a block of earthy butter. It's absolutely delicious on its own. Even more delicious if cut into thin slices; that somehow intensifies the flavour.

It sounds like you're just not into that flavour. It's not for everyone.

Avocados are definitely more on the savory side of the food spectrum. Culinarily, they're almost always referred to as a vegetable because of this, despite being a fruit in botanical terms.

As others have said, salt is pretty much always involved in their preparation. Also, for me and most of the people I know, it's more of an addition to a meal than an actual meal or snack in itself.

I often dice them and put them in rice bowls with cilantro, lime or lemon juice, and whatever other protein I'm using (usually chicken or a fresh fish). They're also added to citrus heavy or savory Asian fusion dishes a lot, nowadays. Basically, avocado goes well with anything rich and savory or light and citrusy.

Aside from that, they are a popular condiment on sandwiches and wraps and add a hint of their flavor and a really nice texture.

People will also do them somewhat like oysters, though, just halved and with hot sauce and lime or lemon juice.

Regardless, I don't think anyone I know eats them without preparation/straight.

It's savory, not sweet. Some salt does wonders, tabasco is nice too :)

Avocado alone needs some salt. Otherwise, you need to prepare stuff with it.

Yeah, it's rich and fatty, which makes it more suitable than a carrot for a sandwich. But the flavour in its own isn't hugely interesting to me, but with lime or chilli or something tangy the creamy texture works wonders.

IMO it’s natural mayo: add bit of freshly cracked pepper and salt. If you can handle the spice: paprika or chilli pepper

You can eat avocados with salt and lemon. Also, look up the recipe for guacamole.

Tortillas and tacos are super easy to make yourself. They are actually poor people food. They taste very good with guacamole.

I love this thread so much!

Just to be clear, I'm not laughing at you, OP. I sure wouldn't know what to do with a pomegranate, and we only learn through asking questions and experimenting.

That being said, the idea of biting into an avocado and expecting it to taste like a banana or apple is funny as hell! Especially the comments where they aren't quite sure if these people talking about putting it on a sandwich are fucking with them or not.

Golden!

Hey, how fresh are they? I never liked avocados until I tried them in California, in season. It was like night and day.

But as others have said, they're not really "sweet".

are you not even putting salt and pepper on it?

Cause thats the most barebones way to eat it.. Its okay just by itself, but it really needs at least salt and pepper, if its not part of a larger recipe or something.

Don't think of them as fruits. It's more like a very rich, creamy vegetable.

By itself it has a mild nutty flavour. When ripe enough to mash, you make guacamole (tonatoes, onion, salt, and freah lime juice) and it becomes amazing.

But on its own, not groundbreaking.

Avocados aren't supposed to be sweet. I can't do dairy, so sometimes I'll use avocado to get that creaminess I'm looking for, but my favorite way to eat them is in guacamole with some tortilla chips.

Where I live, we put sugar on it.

Mash it on something with salt/lemon/maybe tomato

Depends on the avocado and how it is prepared.

As others have said it's savory not sweet and guac is a great choice but I put mine in a wrap.

I cook up some chickpeas in barbeque sauce, spread some avocado on a big ol tortilla, throw in some coleslaw and the chickpeas, wrap it up and go to town.

I put avocado slices on toast with fried eggs on top.

You don't like butter block?

Avocados aren't really supposed to be sweet. More like savory, with that buttery texture. They're really good on toast, no matter what the boomers say.

Others have made some good suggestions. Salt, pepper, chili sauce or sriracha. A fried egg if you want it. Top notch.

A lot of interesting opinions on avocados here! I had no idea that most people salt them, but I certainly don't. Someone commented that they're like carrots, but I don't find them to be anything remotely like carrots. And some people said they're not good on their own, but IMO they're delicious on their own.

I slice them up and eat them with crackers instead of cheese, and with tortilla chips. I love them on top of bagels with cheese. I dice them and mix them into salads for creamy fatty goodness, and sometimes I'll just cut one in half and eat it with a spoon. If I'm eating curry then I'll slice one up and put it on the side. I eat at least one avocado every day, but they're cheap where I live in the US ($3-4 for 6 large ones).

Pro-tip: they do spoil quickly at room temperature, so once they reach peak ripeness you can put them in the fridge and they'll be good for 5-6 days.

We see a lot of BLTA’s at restaurants here in the US: a BLT with a couple slices of avocado on top. I’d give that a try as well. Also when checking for ripeness, I usually press the stem area with my thumb slightly. If it gives a little bit, it’s good to go. If it’s rock hard, skip it.

Just so you know, you’re not alone. When avocados are introduced to new markets (this happened a long time ago in the USA), people need to learn how to engage with it. People need to learn how to buy it, how to open it, how to include it in foods.

And, as you’ve heard, indeed it’s not meant to be sweet and instead it’s just like fat. And it’s very healthy fat.

I agree with what someone else said: I’d try making a simple guacamole recipe and eating the guacamole with nachos or tortillas or something like that!

Also, as someone else said, it’s totally fair if you don’t like guacamole. Some people don’t and it’s alright :)

I used to think I hated it as I only encountered it in guacomoli that always had cilantro. Finally had it on its own and realized I lover it. And yeah its basically has a buttery texture but with its own flavor that pretty much goes with any savory dish. Its main problem is the same as bananas. Unripe is no good and it has a short ripe window before it becomes overripe and you have to use it in the window. Man I would love bananas and avocado that could be held and used like potatoes. Similar to avocado I would put bananas on pretty much anything sweet.

I hope you didn't just bite into an avocado.

it's not just you, outside of Guacamole dip I can't tolerate it.

I don't eat avocado like fruit, I eat it like a vegetable. So cut it up with onion and peppers and dress with lemon, oil and salt and pepper. Or mash on toast & top with goat cheese.

The only way i have ever had it sweet is avocado ice cream, and that involves a lot of sugar. It's not sweet at all on its own.

I would say definitely it's a side dish, not something that you eat alone. It's also very good to put slices on toast. Add pepper and salt on top. You can also drink it as smoothie. It finds its way to salads like egg salad (eggs, avocado, onion, mayo, mustard). Btw, butter tastes good raw 😄

There are two major kinds of avocado. The internet lost its shit about palta, famous for its use in Mexican guacamole. It's about the size of a pear, with bumpy skin. Best served as part of savory dish (seasoned with salt).

The other one is bigger, rounder, and has smooth, shiny skin. Known as aguacate or abacate. Best served as a sweet dish. A banana+abacate+milk smoothie with a bit of sugar is delicious. Also eaten with a sprinkle of sugar and a squeeze of lime.

Using the "wrong" kind of avocado is possible, but requires adaptation and even then the results are sub par.

"Salt. I hear so much about salt. I tried a heaping spoonful and it was nasty. What am I doing wrong?"

Same energy, my friend. This is why cooking is such an amazing skill. You can take 10 things that aren't particularly tasty, and create something amazing.

Try salt and lime/lemon or try putting it on bread with some type of meat.

You can make a faux chocolate pudding with avocados...process some avocado, cocoa, milk or substitute, drop of vanilla, sweeten to taste, very adaptable...fools anyone and pleases everyone.

People like it because it has a creamy, refreshing texture, and a subtle flavour. Try toasting a slice of sourdough bread and smearing avocado on it. Top with sesame seeds if you can get them, and salt and pepper. Or you can try it on things, like people have it with chilli (not the peppers, the Mexican dish). Avocado with white rice is also nice. Mix smashed avocado with lemon juice to make it taste better.

They are really hard to find ripe. They don't ripen until picked - but unfortunatly there is at best one day between ripe and rotten. That is at best, if they bruise at all while handling they will got rotten fast.

Not really worth buying if you don't live where they grow - about half of the ones I buy are rotten before we can eat them - and I pay 5 times the cost as they go for in a tropical location.

Am I missing something?

From your description, I'd say you're missing at least some salt and pepper.

How good they taste depends on thier ripening too, if you open them too early it tastes like wood, too late and they are very bitter.

Avocado is like mushy peat - it's fucking awful.

Even the tiniest bit in a taco or whatever ruins it for me - I find it that awful.

I don't like guac.

It makes me wonder if there's a cilantro thing with avocado, because dirt tastes better (and I love cilantro).

No idea what country are you from but it might be that the avocados you get there are just not that good. I'm from Chile (South America) and here some eat avocados almost daily, my family sure does.

To be clear, the avocado should be soft when you squeeze it, but not too much as to be easily smashed, like an orange but maybe softer. If it's firm like an apple, it's not ripe yet. If it's too soft, it may have gone wrong already and will have an acid taste and rancid smell.

Image for reference.

Another thing to look for is the little hole / part where the branch connects to the avocado (left part on the image). It sometimes falls off, so if it looks white, the avocado may have started to rot from there inwards; that whole should ideally look brownish, green it's good too.

Just cut it in half, take the seed off (just use this tip, hit the seed with a sharped knife and twist it, otherwise you may have an avocado hand incident). Take it off the skin with a spoon and smash it with a fork, then imply add salt.

Try having one with some marmite

In France (a non tropical country with imported avocado), we eat them tender but not yet muchy, sliced in half, the kernel out and vinaigrette in the cavity left. The vinaigre balanced out the fattyless of the flesh. In other recipe, it would be mixed with something in small cube in a salad, as a spread in a sandwich or a cold sauce (in that case muchy) and they bring the fat of the dish.

Avocado straight out the fridge might have less flavor than if it sit for a bit outside of the fridge before being eaten. I never found avocado sweet but I only eat cheap imported one pick up before maturity.

I love raw plain avocado but most people don't and wouldn't eat it like that

Try them with some Worcester Sauce. Amazing contrast but flavorful.

Following others: definitely do not think of avocados as fruit, it’s closer to carrots (has some sweetness, but wouldn’t put it in a fruit salad).

Great easy combos I haven’t seen suggested yet: with bread and feta/salty cheese, with salt pepper and mayonnaise, with oil vinegar and mustard.

I haven’t ever had cooked avocado.

I guess I’m in the minority here, because I quite like avocados on their own. Getting a good one changes everything and getting it at perfect ripeness is important and impacts taste too. If it feels hard, it’s too early. It should have a little bit of give when you squeeze it lightly. If it has black or dark spots inside it’s starting to go. If it has air pockets inside and/or mold you lost your shot - you can still cut off those parts and eat the rest but it will not be at peak tastiness.

I guess it depends on the cultivar? For example avocado cultivars in my country are more milder and sweeter while in America the avocado cultivars have a stronger taste.

Fwiw, I'm latina and generally not a big fan of them. Growing up, my dad ate at least one a day. It's a huge thing in Hispanic households. They're too bland

It's good with salt some oil and some bread. You're right. It is better with other things rather then raw. You can also make them into a great dip for corn chips