What are the two types of ackee in Jamaica?

There are two main types of ackee identified by the colour of the aril. That with a soft yellow aril is known as ‘butter ackee’ and ‘cheese ackee’ is hard and cream-coloured. Ackee contains a poison known as ‘hypoglycin’, which is dissipated when it is properly harvested and cooked.

What is Jamaican ackee good for?

The ackee fruit is also rich in vitamin A, an antioxidant that may help fight free radical damage and inflammation. Vitamin A also supports the immune system, is good for skin and eye health and also promotes cell growth. Another antioxidant that ackee contains is vitamin C.

Why is Jamaican ackee poisonous?

When ingested unripe, ackee produces vomiting and fatal cases of poisoning. The toxic health effects are produced by hypoglycins A and B, which have a potent hypoglycemic effect causing the clinical symptoms and death. The most toxic is hypoglycin A, which is found in the unripe arils.

What does Jamaican ackee look like?

Ackee is a savory fruit with thick red skin; when unripe, the skin forms a sealed pod, but when the fruit ripens, the skin opens up to reveal a beautiful petal-like shape containing three or four yellow pegs topped with a single black seed.

Who brought ackee to Jamaica?

“Ackee was brought to the island, probably on a slave ship from West Africa, sometime in the mid-1700s,” explained Janet Crick, director of Jamaica Culinary Tours in Falmouth on the island’s north coast. “Its name is derived from the original name of the fruit in the Ghanaian Twi language: ankye.

How long does ackee last in fridge?

Prepared ackee, such as an in ackee and saltfish, will keep for 3 to 4 days in the fridge.

Who eats ackee?

In many West African countries, including Cameroon, Ghana and Senegal, ackee is commonly eaten raw, fried in oil, or mixed in soups. In Jamaica, it is often cooked with codfish, onions and tomatoes, or curried and served with rice.

Where does ackee grow?

Ackee, (Blighia sapida), also spelled akee, tree of the soapberry family (Sapindaceae) native to West Africa, widely cultivated throughout tropical and subtropical regions for its edible fruit.

Do they eat ackee in Ghana?

The fleshy arils of the ripened fruits are edible while the seeds and capsules of the fruits are used for soap making. Our ethnobotanical survey revealed that although the ackee fruit is overlooked by researchers in Ghana, the fresh ackee aril is traded in some local markets.

Is Guarana the same as ackee?

Ackee is a member of the Sapindaceae family, an extensive family also referred to as soapberry. Species within this family include the tropical fruits lychee, longan, and guarana, and an additional 2000 others.

Where did ackee come from to Jamaica?

Records suggest that ackee officially arrived in Jamaica from Ghana, most likely via slave ship in 1778. As Kerry-Ann Morris, the writer of Jamaican Echoes shares, the yellow-skinned fruit was purchased from the slave ship’s captain in order to provide a nutritional source for Jamaica’s enslaved population, and became a staple food.

Is akee a Jamaican fruit?

Ackee is a plant that produces fruit. It is found in West Africa, the Caribbean, southern Florida, and Central America. Ripe ackee fruit is eaten as food and is considered a dietary staple in Jamaica. However, unripe ackee fruit is very poisonous.

What fruits are native to Jamaica?

Fruits and Vegetables. Traditional Jamaican fruits and vegetables include the familiar, such as limes, as well as the more exotic, such as papaya, star fruit, passion-fruit and guava.

What is Jamaica’s national fruit?

The Ackee fruit, most notable for its bright orange pods and toxic tendencies is one of Jamaica’s most popular foods. So popular in fact, the Ackee was named the national fruit of Jamaica and is also part of the National dish, Ackee and Saltfish .