Ackee

What it is

A ripe ackee is about 10 cm (4 in) long. The part eaten is the aril, the fleshy cushion beneath each seed. Jamaican butter ackee has softer yellow flesh; cheese ackee has firmer, cream-coloured flesh.

Only fully ripe, properly processed arils are safe to eat. The seeds, rind and unripe fruit are unsafe, and cooking does not make unripe ackee safe. Preparing raw ackee safely takes training.

Where it comes from

Ackee comes from the forests of West Africa. Slave traders carried it to Jamaica in the eighteenth century, and it became the island’s national fruit. It also grows in other Caribbean countries, southern Florida, and Central and South America.

In Benin, ackee is both food and trade. Fresh and dried flesh goes into cooking, and dried pieces travel from local markets to cities.

How it's eaten where it grows

In Jamaica, ackee and saltfish pairs the fruit with salt cod, onions and tomatoes. Canned ackee also goes into ackee-and-saltfish fried rice. The pieces are so tender that gentle stirring keeps them whole.

In Benin, the flesh goes into sauces in place of sesame seeds or peanuts. It can also be ground to release its oil into the sauce. Drying preserves the flesh for later cooking and for sale.

How it's grown

Ackee grows on a usually evergreen tree in tropical and subtropical climates. It fruits best in full sun, and a tree raised from seed begins bearing in three to six years. In Benin, farmers also move naturally sprouted seedlings to places where they can tend them, and stake young trees so they are protected from grazing animals, ploughing and fire.

When and where you'll find it

In Jamaica, the two main crops usually run from January to March and June to August. Some trees bear through the year.

In the US, canned and frozen ackee arrive from countries including Jamaica, Belize and Haiti. Caribbean groceries serving Jamaican communities are a place to look for the canned fruit.