The Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC) has published the Arabic edition of "Avocado: A Global History" by American author Jeff Miller. Published as part of the ALC’s Kalima Translation Project, the work was translated into Arabic by Islam Samih Al Radan and reviewed by Youssef Hamdan.

In his book, Miller provides a comprehensive examination of the avocado, tracing its ancient history and exploring the role of large, now-extinct mammals in dispersing its seeds. He details the avocado’s journey from its native home in the highlands of central Mexico to its global spread through human intervention. Miller also highlights how ancient civilisations valued and used the avocado, describing it as a "gift of the gods" and recounting the various ways in which these cultures cared for and represented the fruit in their architecture and burial sites.

The book examines the history of the avocado during the colonial era, drawing on the writings of Spanish and English explorers, conquistadors, and travellers. It traces the evolution of its name, documents its appearance in newspapers, magazines, periodicals, and other media, and explores the unusual link between the avocado trade and organised crime groups in Mexico and other countries.

The author provides a detailed scientific analysis of the avocado varieties, discussing methods of production, grafting, and cultivation, as well as the different types of this fruit. He also examines the scale of its international trade, marketing strategies used to promote it, and the wide range of foods and beverages that incorporate avocados. He also highlights the growing obsession with avocados, driven mainly by discussions about their nutritional value on social media platforms.

Furthermore, Miller examines the diverse uses of the avocado in various fields, citing scientific efforts to use avocado extracts in the production of certain medicines, the use of avocado oil in food, cosmetics, and haircare products, as well as its role in production of ink and fabric dyes.

Jeff Miller is an Associate Professor of Hospitality Management in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at Colorado State University, USA. He was recognised as the Educator of the Year by the Sysco Corporation in 2017.

The book’s translator, Islam Samih Al Radan, has a specialised diploma in translation from the Institute of Applied Linguistics and Translation, Faculty of Arts, Alexandria University (2018). He has translated around 50 literary works, including children’s stories, detective fiction, and novels.