Exploring Ackee: African Heritage and Jamaican Tradition in One Fruit
They say that “What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.” Well, in Jamaica, there is a fruit that no other population dares to eat on a regular basis which is not only a staple in the Jamaican diet, but has been honoured with national status. The fruit is ackee, which is the national fruit and is also an equal ingredient in Jamaica’s national dish – Ackee and saltfish.
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Only in Jamaica can you find a people who not only continuously harness the power of nature for their ongoing benefit, but also share it with the world. From Blue Mountain coffee to Jerk spices, the island is bountiful, and this unique fruit comes in under the radar like a stealth plane.
I am not saying that ackee has anything to do with the phenomenal athletes the country produces, or the amazing talent transferred overseas in the areas of arts, science and technology. It could just be a coincidence. I leave that to the researchers who are constantly looking for – “the Secret”.
Journey from Africa
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Ackee (Blighia sapida), is thought to have hitched a ride on a slave ship from West Africa, where it is known as Ankye in the Akan language of what is now Ghana. Whether it was deliberate, to give those in human bondage something they would know, or random seeds mixed with supplies, we will never know.
From Jamaica to Kew Gardens
Later, it is was Captain Bligh, of the Mutiny on the Bounty fame, who brought a specimen to the Royal Botanical Gardens (Kew) in 1793. The researchers at the time could find no commercial use for the plant, unlike rubber, and palm. So the ackee tree was just a curiosity until the Windrush Generation arrived in Southampton in 1948 to let the locals know, “this is how we do it.
Handle With Care
It is not a common food crop in West Africa, the tree is used mainly for ornamental purposes, due to deaths from improper preparation. Some countries banned its importation due to it potential to poison if not picked at the right time. In fact many a Floridian has succumbed to the fruit due to the trees planted there by Jamaican expats.
The University of the West Indies, Mona Campus, Chemistry Department, since the inception of the University in 1948, has been carrying out cutting-edge ackee research. They have found out what makes the ackee toxic (hypoglycin A – an unusual amino acid), and when levels of this toxin drop (on maturity), thus making the ackee fruit safe to eat. “
Jamaica Journal 31(1-2):84-89
My first encounter with the potential of fresh ackee was as a newly arrived tween on the island of Jamaica. As a child of the diaspora I was used to canned ackee, as that was all that was available in England at the time.
After a few weeks on the island I was tasked with buying and cooking ackee and salt fish, after having been given instructions to buy only the open pods from the vendor because the closed ones are poisonous. The responsibility weighed heavily and I made sure to clean them properly not wanting to be responsible for the demise of my family. Luckily, everyone survived.
Taste Test
How does it taste? It has been likened to scrambled eggs, but I find that it is more like a firm tofu, and it also depends on which type of ackee you have for texture and taste. There are two main kinds of ackee, one is soft with a darker yellow arial and is known as ‘butter’ and the other is hard with a lighter yellow arial and is known as ‘cheese’.
The taste is a neutral blandness with a hint of sweetness, allowing ackee to cool and absorb the flavour of whatever it is added to in the pot. In West Africa it is eaten fresh or dried. Ackee is also rich in vitamins, minerals, and essential fatty acids.
Traditional Medicine
According to K. D. Koenig, Journal of Ethnopharmacology, and scientists at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, ackee is well established in traditional medicine in countries across West Africa where the tree grows. They confirm that various parts of the plant are used to treat:
- backache
- constipation
- cancer
- fever
- malaria
- diabetes
- yellow fever
Could its traditional medicinal properties be the reason it was transported with the enslaved people in the first place?
According to the Doctrine of Signatures, plants resemble what they treat. The ackee pod seems like most other pod fruits until it splits into three, exposing the in arial (yellow sac) with the black seed at the base. It has a very unusual appearance.
Final Thoughts
Now you know the story of ackee, the legacy of a fruit that unifies, and brings comfort and nourishment to a people.
The only downfall for the fans of this fruit in the diaspora is the price of a can of ackee in the grocery stores, it’s moving close the gold index, so it can only be enjoyed on special occasions.
If you do come across fresh ackee be very cautious, know your source and the person who is going to cook it.
If you know, you know. But for those who don’t, here is the American Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) warning for its citizens, as they are the ones who control the import of canned ackee into the US:
- Do not eat fresh ackee that has not ripened naturally.
- Do not try to cook fresh ackee that has not ripened naturally. Cooking an unripe fruit will not reduce the level of hypoglycin A.
- Do not eat the seeds or rinds of ackee. Ripe ackee fruits still have high levels of hypoglycin A in their seeds and rinds.
- Do not try to prepare raw ackee yourself unless you have been trained to properly handle and process ackee.
- When you are buying canned, frozen, or processed ackee products, you can check if the manufacturer is on the “Green List” of processors in the FDA’s Import Alert.
Let me know your favorite ackee stories, and recipes. How do you cook ackee in your area?
