Ackee (Blighia Sapida) - The National Fruit of Jamaica

Ackee (Blighia Sapida) is the national fruit of Jamaica (Caribbean).

⭐ Points of Interest:
00:23 Ackee
03:26 Ackee Arils
05:15 Ackee Tree

The ackee (scientific name: Blighia sapida) is a fruit of the Sapindaceae soapberry family. Ackee (also known as ankye, achee, akee, ackee apple or ayee) is native to tropical West Africa.

It was imported to the Caribbean from Ghana before 1725.

The scientific name honours Captain William Bligh who took the fruit from Jamaica to the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, England in 1793 and introduced it to science. The English common name Ackee is derived from the original name Ankye which is another name for the West African Akan people.

Parts of the fruit are toxic, such as the arils prior to the opening of the husk at the ripening stage.
Although having a long-held reputation as being poisonous with potential fatalities, the fruit arils are renowned as delicious when ripe, prepared properly, and cooked, and are a feature of various Caribbean cuisines.

Notably, Ackee is the national fruit of Jamaica and is considered a delicacy. Ackee and saltfish is also the Jamaican national dish prepared with ackee and salted codfish

In fact: Jamaica is the only place where the fruit is widely eaten. However, it has been introduced into most of the other Caribbean islands, Central America and Florida, where it is known by different names.

Jamaican canned ackee is exported and sold in markets patronized by expatriate Jamaicans.

The ackee tree grows to about 10 metres (approximately 32 feet) tall, with a short trunk and a dense crown. The leaves of the tree are elliptical to oblong shaped. Each leaflet is 8 to 12 centimetres (approximately 3.1 to 4.7 in) long and 5 to 8 centimetres (approximatelt 2.0 to 3.1 in) wide. The fruit is pear-shaped and has 3 lobes (2 - 4 lobes are common).

When the ackee ripens, it turns from green to a bright red to yellow-orange,
and splits open to reveal three large, shiny black seeds, each surrounded by soft, creamy or spongy, white to yellow flesh.

The fruit typically weighs 100 to 200 grams (approximately 3.5 to 7.1 oz).

The tree can produce fruit throughout the year, although January–March and October–November are typically periods of fruit production.

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Posted by InJamaica in Default Category on September 28 2021 at 09:26 AM  ·  Public
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