As the poster child of millennial healthy eating,

做為千禧世代健康飲食的典範

this superfood is now a mainstay for foodies everywhere.

這種超級食物，現已成為世界各地美食家不可或缺的食材。

But have you noticed your avo on toast

但是，你是否注意到塗在麵包上的酪梨抹醬

is costing more and more?

已經愈來愈貴了？

Avocado prices have rocketed in recent years by up to 129%,

酪梨價格近年來已飆升了 129％

with the average national price of a single Hass avocado

2019 年哈斯酪梨的全國平均價格

reaching $2.10 in 2019, almost doubling in just one year.

達到 2.10 美元一顆，在短短一年內幾乎翻了一倍。

So, why are avocados so expensive?

那麼，為什麼酪梨這麼貴？

Archaeologists in Peru have found domesticated avocado seeds

秘魯的考古學家發現了西元前 750 年，和印加木乃伊埋在一起

buried with Incan mummies dating back to 750 BC.

人工培育出的酪梨種子。

But it was the Aztecs in 500 BC who named it āhuacatl,

但是，在西元前 500 年的阿茲特克人將其命名為 āhuacatl

which translates to "testicle."

意思是「睾丸」。

When Spanish conquistadors swept through Mexico

16 世紀西班牙人征服墨西哥

and Central America in the 16th century,

和中美洲時

they renamed it aguacate.

將酪梨重新命名為 aguacate。

The farming of aguacate developed

接下來的幾百年

over the next few hundred years,

酪梨的種植蓬勃發展於

predominantly in Central America and South America.

中美洲和南美洲。

But consumption of the "alligator pear"

但在十九世纪末以前

outside of these regions before the late 19th century

中南美洲以外的地區，幾乎沒有人食用

was almost nonexistent.

當時稱為的「鱷梨」的酪梨。

The commercialization of aguacate began in the early 1900s

酪梨的商業化始於二十世紀初

but was focused on branding avocados as a delicacy

但當時是將酪梨塑造為有錢人的美味佳餚

for the wealthy, like this advert in The New Yorker

就像這則 1920 年刊登在「紐約客」雜誌的廣告

from 1920, which declared them as

宣稱酪梨是

"The aristocrat of salad fruit."

「水果中的貴族」。

But a selection of Californian growers realized

但是一些美國加州的種植者意識到

that the hard-to-pronounce aguacate was off-putting

酪梨的西語發音「aguacate」很難唸，不利於推廣到

for the mass market, so they formed

大眾市場，於是他們成立了

the California Avocado Association.

「加州酪梨協會」。

By the 1950s, production scale grew,

到了 1950 年代，酪梨生產規模擴大

and avocado prices fell to about 25 cents each.

價格跌至約 25 美分一個。

Popularity increased further with the wave

1960 年代，隨著拉丁美洲人到美國的移民浪潮

of inter-American immigration in the '60s,

他們將熱愛的酪梨

as Latin Americans brought their love of avocados

也帶到了美國，於是酪梨變得

with them to the US.

愈來愈受歡迎。

But as demand increased, supply had to keep up,

但随着需求的增加，供給也必須跟上

and the true difficulties of yielding large-scale

大規模種植酪梨的困難

avocado crops began to show.

這時開始顯現出來。

Avocado orchards require an extraordinary amount

酪梨果園要蓬勃發展

of costly resources in order to flourish.

必須投入昂貴的成本及資源。

Gus Gunderson: There are multiple inputs

Gus Gunderson：種植酪梨需要

that avocados require,

多方面的投入

whether it's water, fertilizer, pruning, pest control,

舉凡灌溉、施肥、修剪、預防蟲害

the sunburn protection of trees.

樹木的防曬保護等。

All those go into making your chances better

所有這一切，都是使你種出

of having a very good-quality crop.

優質酪梨所必需付出的。

When we decide to plant an avocado orchard,

當我們決定開闢酪梨園時

we'll plant trees that come from certified nurseries.

我們栽種的樹苗都是來自於通過認證的苗圃。

We have to place our orders years in advance.

我們必須得提前幾年下訂單。

On average, if we're producing 100,000 pounds per acre,

平均來說，如果我們每英畝生產 10 萬磅酪梨

that takes about a million gallons of water,

大约需要 100 萬加侖的水

so 100 gallons per pound,

所以每磅需要 100 加侖

so it'd be about 50 gallons per 8-ounce fruit.

每 8盎 司果實，大约需要 50 加侖的水。

But that's dependent on what mother nature

但這還得看老天會賜給你什麼

will throw at you, you know, we have wind,

你知道，有強風

we have intense sun.

有烈日。

It's really hard for a grower to manage

對一個種植者來說

the unmanageable things that will affect a crop.

要處理那些影響收成，又非我們可掌控的事，是非常困難的。

Narrator: The surge in popularity of avocados

旁白：酪梨的流行

stalled during the fat-fighting frenzy of the 1980s,

在 1980 年代的抗脂熱潮中停滯不前

with an average of only 1 pound per capita

1989 年，美國的人均消費量

being consumed in America by 1989.

僅 1 磅。

The decade's low-fat obsession drove consumers

因為酪梨含脂量很高

away from avocado because of its high fat content,

十餘年來的低脂飲食迷思，使得消費者遠離酪梨

without really understanding

而無法真正了解

the nutritional truth hidden within.

酪梨的營養價值。

Hazel Wallace: When it comes to fat in food in general,

Hazel Wallace： 一般來說，當談到食物中的脂肪時

people tend to get a little bit concerned

人們通常會有點擔心

because we often hear in the media

因為我們經常從媒體

that fat isn't good for us.

得知脂肪對健康是不好的。

But the type of fat that's in avocados

但是，酪梨中的脂肪類型

is monounsaturated fat, which is actually often deemed

是單元不飽和脂肪，事實上通常被認為是

healthy fat or heart-healthy fat,

健康的脂肪，或是有益於心臟的脂肪

so while there is a lot of fat in avocados,

所以雖然酪梨含有大量的脂肪

it's actually quite good fat.

實際上卻是相當好的脂肪。

Avocado started its meteoric comeback

得助於一個意想不到的政治決定

at the turn of the millennium, and it was helped

酪梨在千禧年之初

by an unlikely political decision.

迅速地捲土重來。

In 2005, the US Department of Agriculture

2005 年，美國農業部

lifted a 90-year-old ban to allow the importation

取消了一項實施了 90 年的禁令，允許全美 50 個州

of Mexican avocados to all 50 states.

可以進口墨西哥酪梨。

Initially, this decision angered Californian growers,

最初，這一決定激怒了加州的酪梨農夫

who feared the move could slash local growers' sales

他們擔心此舉將使當地種植的酪梨銷量

by as much as 20%.

減少 20％ 。

What actually had transpired and took place

但真正的情況卻是

was, as that Mexican supply became much more

隨著墨西哥酪梨的供給變得越來越普及

prevalent and available, retailers got behind

和更容易買得到，零售商銷售酪梨

marketing and selling avocados,

變得供不應求

food service providers, restaurants started putting it

食品供應商，餐館，開始將酪梨放入

as permanent parts of their menus,

經常性的菜單之中

and demand started to boom

酪梨的需求暴增

because the inconsistent supply chains before

因為以前有不同的供應商，現在則是

were now consistent, and consumers were allowed

可以統一自墨西哥進口，所以消費者一年四季

to enjoy avocados every day of the year.

都可以享用酪梨。

Narrator: The biggest day of the avocado calendar

旁白：在酪梨銷售日曆中

became Super Bowl Sunday, when it's now estimated

最重要的一天是美式足球「超級杯星期天」，據估計

that almost 200 million pounds of avocados

在這場重要的比賽中

are eaten during the big game in America.

將近有 2 億磅的酪梨被吃掉。

But if you take a moment to consider

但是，如果你能花一點時間去細想

the resources needed to produce that amount,

生產這麼大數量所需的資源

you can start to understand avocados' elevated prices.

你就可以了解酪梨價格飆漲的原因了。

According to experts, it takes roughly 270 liters of water

據專家稱，種植一磅酪梨

to grow a pound of avocados.

大約需要 270 公升的水。

So 200 million pounds could require

因此，2 億磅可能需要

as much as 54 billion liters of water,

多達 540 億公升的水

which means droughts or heat waves can have

這意味著乾旱或酷暑可能會對酪梨產業

devastating consequences on the avocado industry.

造成毀滅性的後果。

In fact, that's exactly what's been happening in California

事實上，這正是過去七年來發生在

for the last seven years, with the Sunshine State

加州的事情，這個陽光之州

only recently being declared drought-free in 2019,

直到 2019 年才被宣佈乾旱解除

which goes a long way to explaining record avocado prices.

這正足以解釋了酪梨價格創歷史新高的原因。

In some countries, like Chile, avocado cultivation

在一些國家，像是智利，酪梨種植被指責是

is being blamed for exacerbating droughts,

造成乾旱加劇的罪魁禍首

as lush green orchards overlook dry riverbeds.

因為從鬱鬱蔥蔥的酪梨園看下去，盡是乾涸的河床。

Perhaps the biggest reason for avocados' rise to dominance

或許，酪梨之所以成為霸主

is the emergence of the clean-eating lifestyle.

最大的原因是健康飲食生活方式的興起

No longer just a chip dip for special occasions,

它不再僅僅是特殊場合下才拿來使用的沾醬

this superfood can be found in a plethora of recipes

在世界各地的咖啡館和眾多食譜中

in cafés and restaurants everywhere around the world.

都可以找到這種超級食品。

And those who are eating them are really keen

那些正在吃它們的人

for you to know about it.

真的很想推薦給你。

Just type #avocado into Instagram, and you'll be hit

只要在 Instagram 中輸入 #avocado，你就會得到

with over 10 million search results.

超過 1000 萬筆的搜索结果。

But is the glorification of avocado justified?

但是，酪梨擁有如此殊榮合理嗎？

There's quite a big hype around avocados,

酪梨的確有很大的炒作成分

but it actually is quite justified when it comes

但是當談到到這種食物的高營養價值時

to how nutrient-dense this food is.

它被如此推崇就很合理了。

There's not many foods that actually replicate it

在營養方面，沒有多少食物

in terms of a nutritional profile.

能真正比得上它。

When it comes to calling something a superfood,

至於把某種食物稱之為超級食物

I'm not really for that label.

我真的不喜歡給它貼上這個標籤。

Avocados are definitely a good food

酪梨絕對是值得你放在日常飲食中

to include in your diet, but like I said,

的好食物，但就像我所說的

you're not really missing out if you don't like them

如果你不喜歡酪梨，或因任何原因

or if you can't eat them for any reason.

無法食用它，你也不會真的錯過它。

Monounsaturated fats, we can find that in things

因為酪梨含有的單元不飽和脂肪，我們可以在

like olive oil and olive, nuts, and seeds.

橄欖油、橄欖、堅果和種子中找到。

The vitamins and minerals, we can find that

它含有的維生素和礦物質，我們可以在

in other green vegetables, so spinach and broccoli

其他綠色蔬菜中找到，例如菠菜

and things like that.

和花椰菜等。

So there's ways of getting those nutrients in

因此，即便不吃酪梨也有很多方式

without having avocado.

可以攝取到這些營養。

All of this produce requires

所有這些產品

an astonishing amount of labor.

都需要大量的勞工。

Even once grown, pruned, and picked,

酪梨經過種植、修剪和採摘後

avocados need costly distribution methods

仍需要透過昂貴的配銷方式

in order to be delivered fresh and ripe

才能將新鮮成熟的酪梨

to far-flung corners of the world.

運送到世界各個角落。

If you're living in Philadelphia, right?

如果你住在費城，對吧？

You wanna buy a ripe avocado in Philadelphia?

你想在費城買到成熟的酪梨嗎？

What they do is they ship green avocados

他們的做法是將尚未成熟的酪梨

from California to Philadelphia,

從加州運到費城

they send them to the ripening center,

將它們送到催熟中心

they warm them up and get ethylene in them,

將它們放在溫暖之處，用乙烯加以催熟

so they all ripen, and then,

這樣它們就全部熟成了，然後

when they're moved out to the retail stores,

當它們被運送到零售店時

you're actually buying something

你實際上買到的就是

that's almost ready to eat or ready to eat.

幾乎可以立即食用，或是已經可以立即食用的酪梨

Cause if you were to buy a green avocado that's shipped

因為如果你買的是從加州直接運到

straight from California to your market,

你住所附近的市場尚未成熟的酪梨

you would have to ripen it yourself

那麼你必需再放置 7 到 10 天

over a seven- to 10-day period,

等待它熟成

and most consumers are a little more anxious

但大多數消費者對酪梨吐司的渴望

for their avocado toast than waiting 10 days. [laughs]

是無法忍受再等個 10 天的。 (笑)

Narrator: With prices so high, the commodity of avocados

旁白：由於價格高昂，酪梨這項商品

has attracted a spate of thefts from orchards

吸引了全球小偷的覬覦

and delivery trucks worldwide.

從果園一直偷到送貨卡車。

In New Zealand, armed night patrols and electric fences

在紐西蘭北島的一個果園

have been introduced after a grower in Northland

有 70％ 酪梨被盜之後，果農就引進了武裝夜間巡邏

had 70% of his orchard stolen.

和通電圍籬。

There's even further grim reading for avocado lovers.

對酪梨愛好者而言，還有更可怕的消息。

In Michoacán, where 80% of Mexico's avocados originate,

在墨西哥 80％ 酪梨的產地 Michoacán

cartels run a so-called "blood avocado" trade,

利益集團壟斷了市場，從事所謂的「血酪梨」交易

violently enforcing a nonnegotiable extortion fee

他們根據酪農的土地面積

from farmers based on the size of their land

和農作物的重量，對酪農強加勒索

and the weight of their crop.

保護費。

Some restaurants have begun an avocado boycott,

一些餐館已開始抵制酪梨

as we all weigh the ethics behind our eating habits.

因為在飲食習慣背後，還有我們的道德價值。

Experts suggest that water shortages

專家們認為，到了 2050 年

could affect 5 billion people by 2050,

可能會有 50 億人口受到缺水問題影響

and rainfall in the so-called drought belt,

包括墨西哥和南美在內的

which includes Mexico and South America,

所謂乾旱帶的降雨

is predicted to decline.

預計將會減少。

But whilst evidence of environmental degradation

但是，儘管越來越多的證據顯示

is mounting, the avocado industry is still growing

環境正在惡化，酪梨產業仍隨著消費需求增加

along with consumer demand.

而成長。

In certain places, the sustainability of avocado production

在某些地方，酪梨暢銷的地位將仍

will become untenable.

然屹立不搖。