I was blessed by a dear friend with some fresh Ackee from a tree here in Jamaica. Although everyone from Jamaica knows what Ackee is , people from many other countries may have only distantly heard of it, or not know about it at all.
Ackee Tree
known to only a select few lies an infamous Ackee tree. Ackee is not cultivated or commercialized in many countries because if picked or cooked improperly it is deadly.
since I was A child the first thing, I learned quickly, you do not buy Ackee from anyone you do not know and trust because many people have died from it. In the photo above you can see the Ackee pods. There is a poison inside called Hypoglycin, it is released in toxicity when the pod is fully open. If you pick and harvest when pod is partially open and try to force it open then they will be deadly.
Once you have picked fully ripe Ackee, you must properly clean them as well, otherwise, the position remains and you will get sick. The black seed is easily removed and the inside (red-beige vein) must be completely removed and cleaned. Leave nothing inside and thoroughly wash.
Cleaned Ackee will look like this. Now you can bring your water to a boil and cook Ackee. I like to salt the water. Cook for about 10-15 minutes until Ackee is very soft, almost pudding-like, but does not fall apart. In Jamaica, their national dish is Ackee with Salt fish, cooked down with some onion, scallions, hot pepper, tomatoes and some thyme. But in this vegan kitchen, we leave out the fish.
Many say Ackee looks and tastes like scrambled eggs. To me it just taste like Ackee. Very distinct and very delicious. I absolutely love it as one of my favorite foods.
I have not been able to find one market in six Countries I have travel that sells Ackee =(, not one!!!
So I am always making online orders or I travel with it my self.
this is my favorite brand, Stanmark when traveling.
I hope you get an opportunity to taste Ackee. Just writing about it is making my mouth water! Unless you are in the Caribbean or Florida, or have a friend in JA who will bring you fresh Ackee, it is likely your best bet to taste is the can. Of course the can does not compare to the fresh, but still, it is delicious.
HEALTH BENEFITS OF ACKEE FRUIT:
AIDS DIGESTION
LOWER BLOOD PRESSURE
CONTROLS DIABETES
IMPROVES HEART HEALTH
BOOSTS PROTEIN POWER
INCREASE BONE STRENTH
BOOSTS IMMUNITY
REGULATES CIRCULATION
Would love to hear your story of trying Ackee and thoughts, So upvote, follow and resteem please and thanks.
Have a beautiful day,Steemit Family.
