![]() Usual contenders include the basins of northern South America, the Yucatán Peninsula, and the Caribbean. The achiote here in Yucatán is a little drier, smaller in size, and has a different flavor.”īixa orellana is believed to have originated in the Americas, but the exact location is disputed. “On occasion, we’ve tried to grind achiote from Chiapas, but because it has a higher water content, it turns into a muddy paste that hardens. “Because we make our products artisanally, we have to use locally grown achiote,” Castillo adds. “There is only one species of achiote, but depending on the region and conditions where it’s grown, its color, water content, and size will vary,” says Delfina Castillo, co-founder of Semilla De Dioses, an all-female co-op that produces and sells artisanal foods and condiments native to the Yucatán. Peru is the world’s largest producer, followed by Brazil, Kenya, Mexico, Jamaica, and other countries throughout the Americas, Asia, and Africa. The achiote tree grows in tropical countries, with about 60 percent of average annual production coming from Latin America alone. Annatto seeds are also commonly dried and ground into spice blends and condiments like achiote paste. Once they’re harvested, annatto seeds can be steeped in hot water to break up their fleshy pulp and transform them into natural dyes for textiles and cosmetics, as well as foods like cheeses, sweets, and cured meats. The flesh surrounding the harvested seeds is rich in carotenoids, the naturally occurring pigments that give the seeds their signature coloring. A pod can produce up to 50 pyramid-shaped seeds, but the fruit itself is inedible. If you pop them, they paint everything bright orange and deep red.”Īs the pods mature, their green color darkens to a brownish-red hue and they eventually crack open to reveal their fully developed seeds. When you cut into it, you see a lot of little red granules that are wrapped in a white membrane. “Achiote looks like a rambutan or lychee,” says Regina Escalante Bush, chef and co-owner of Merci in Mérida, Yucatán. Their most defining features are the soft, fine bristles that grow all around their exterior layer, making them look like fuzzy strawberries from a distance. These red, heart-shaped capsules grow in clusters and can range from 1 to 3 centimeters in diameter. The seeds that give us achiote paste and other annatto-based products come from pods that grow on a perennial shrub known as the annatto tree, or Bixa orellana. ![]() The word comes from achiotl in Nahuatl, the ancient Aztec language, but the ingredient is also known as roucou in Trinidad and Tobago, achuete in the Philippines, bija in the Dominican Republic, and, on a more global scale, as the annatto seed. Earthy, tangy, and wonderfully colorful, it’s an ingredient that belongs in the spotlight.Īchiote has a few names, which vary depending on where you are in the world. And while achiote is often associated with Mexican cooking, it can be found in various cuisines across the globe. With the help of a little achiote, you can dye grilled fish a beautiful ruby red or add a splash of color to a pot of rice. ![]() With origins that reportedly date back a few millennia, achiote can now be found in various forms ranging from dried seeds to fragrant pastes. It gives cochinita pibil its visual wow factor, and is the secret ingredient behind every irresistible spit of al pastor. ![]() ![]() The vibrant, reddish-brown color of achiote turns any number of dishes into a feast for the eyes. ![]()
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