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For a while now, I have been dealing with nasty tasting avocados. Some tasting so bitter, I start to gag and cannot continue eating them. I do not remember them tasting this way before September. Is this a seasonal problem? Are there any methods of masking the taste?

PS: My mother suggested stevia herbs, my avacados come from Mexico

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  • Some years just run bad.
    – paparazzo
    Commented Oct 20, 2017 at 7:18
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    Where are you (country and region), and where are the avocados from? Do you know the cultivar?
    – Jolenealaska
    Commented Oct 20, 2017 at 7:46

2 Answers 2

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So first, you should be aware that there is an avocado shortage this year, and as a result the avocados you are getting at the store are probably lower quality than you are used to.

There are two reasons for avocados to taste bitter: underripeness, or because they have been cooked. If the avocado is fairly firm, then it's probably just underripe and you can wait. If it's soft, though, then either it was picked very underripe and never lost its bitterness, or at some stage it was allowed to get really hot during shipping (possible since the shortage was triggered by high temperatures in California). In either of those two cases, it is ruined and you should compost it.

There's nothing you can really do to get rid of that bitterness. Contrasting flavors, such as tartness from lemon juice, will help cover it up, but it will still have a bitter aftertaste.

References:

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  • Drought in Mexico was also a factor. Commented Oct 20, 2017 at 23:24
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    Yah, my response is just "don't buy avocados this year unless you really need them". Prices are high and quality is low.
    – FuzzyChef
    Commented Oct 22, 2017 at 0:06
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Check out the frozen fruits aisle in your grocery store for frozen avocado chunks! Usually quality testing is performed before freezing, meaning that there might be less bitter avocados in the frozen version and they are flash-frozen nearer to the areas of avocado production.

Eliminates almost all the hassles of buying and cutting avocados, however you do not want to use prior-frozen avocados in a salad or to eat raw (they lose their texture) but is amazing in cooked preparations or even if you microwave the frozen chunks. then mash with a fork and mix with mayo ---- yumm, so good!

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