What's up with my avocado?

November 2, 2006 12:10 PM

I bought a sandwich that had an avocado with these brown root-like tentacles in the flesh but was otherwise normal looking and tasting. Any idea what that's about? I'd be interested to know if this is a common occurance and the cause. I've never seen anything like it before and I've enjoyed zillions of avocados in my life. There's a photo and a bit more info inside.

I tried to pull one of them out of the flesh but it was really in there! It wouldn't budge before it broke where my fingers gripped it. They look and feel like roots. Unfortunately the avocado wasn't cut by me so I don't know what the rest of it looked like.

posted by sublivious to Food & Drink (11 answers total)

That happens to avocadoes that are getting very ripe. I like mine a bit less ripe, but it's all good.
posted by typewriter at 12:12 PM on November 2, 2006

About one of every 4 of the avocados I buy end up looking like that. It is just overripeness, and no they really don't pull out.

Once they get branchy I don't like the way they taste, but I've always been under the impression that it wasn't harmful or anything.
posted by Lyn Never at 12:29 PM on November 2, 2006

Guess the photo was edited out. Here's a link.
posted by sublivious at 12:47 PM on November 2, 2006

Oh and thanks for the answers so far by the way.
posted by sublivious at 12:47 PM on November 2, 2006

I hate it when avocados get like that.
posted by Faint of Butt at 1:15 PM on November 2, 2006

This is pretty common. You might also detect a slight musk to the avocado. As typewriter noted, it's a sign of an older avocado. Still perfectly edible though.
posted by lekvar at 1:22 PM on November 2, 2006

yep, totally edible... until the next time I have an overripe avocado and can't eat it because I keep thinking of tentacles growing in it.... ;)
posted by AthenaPolias at 1:30 PM on November 2, 2006

For what it's worth, I've eaten thousands of avocados myself, and I've never seen that either. Brownness yes, tentacles no.
posted by bingo at 8:05 PM on November 2, 2006

I'd eaten tons of brown avocados but never saw the tentacles until I bought an avocado in the UK. I wonder if it's a question of the species/variety of avocado?
posted by Deathalicious at 9:18 PM on November 2, 2006

I hate it when avocados get like that.

And unlike the comments upthread, I don't find an avo which has 'turned' this way perfectly edible. Part of the eating pleasure is the texture, which is ruined when these fiberous growths appear. I'm pretty sure I've only seen it in Hass avocados, since that's the only kind I buy.
posted by Rash at 8:35 AM on November 3, 2006

According to the California Avocado Commission, stringiness in the pulp of avocado fruit is associated with tree juvenility. In young vigorous trees, the fruit grows very rapidly and a small amount of cellulose fiber is sometimes deposited along the xylem vessels (water conduits) of the fruit. It’s essentially dietary fiber, and although it may have a slightly undesirable texture, it is harmless.

Not sure if that's true, but I found it here.

For the record, I don't like them either.
posted by snofoam at 9:56 AM on November 3, 2006