Ackee And Saltfish

Details

Food & Drink

Sunday, 31 January 2010 05:56

By Simply XQuisite

The ackee tree is cultivated throughout the Tropics, and bears fruit from January to March, and June to August. The tree grows up to 60 ft and is densely branched with a smooth gray bark. When mature, ackee leaves are 9-15 inches in length, with 3-5 pairs of glossy leaflets.

The tree bears greenish, small, staminate and hermaphroditic flowers, while the ackee fruit is a red, yellow or orange capsule, 2-4 inches long, with three cream-coloured arils, each tipped with a black seed. The firm and oily aril is the edible portion and is consumed fresh or cooked and used as a vegetable. Extreme caution should be exercised when using fruit, since both immature and over mature ackee fruits may be toxic.  

The ackee tree is also planted for decorative and ornamental purposes and has healing properties. Seed extracts are used to treat parasites; the ripe ackee fruit is ingested to lower fever and to control dysentery; a poultice of crushed ackee leaves is applied to the forehead to alleviate headaches, and can also be placed on the skin to heal ulcers.

One of the most popular dishes is ackee and saltfish. Although eaten throughout the Caribbean, it is the national dish of Jamaica.

To make this exciting dish, you will need:

Mature ackee (remember: unripe or overripe could be poisonous) Or if you prefer you can purchase and drain one can of ackee.

1 small tomato, chopped
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1 sweet pepper (finely chopped)
1 lb saltfish (cooked, deboned and stripped up)
3 tablespoons oil
2 onions, sliced
1 clove of garlic (finely chopped)
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

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5 Comments In This Article   

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re: tenman

fnpsr » 2011-08-31 00:34

Nice work Tenman! It was some time ago I read the report by the researcher, and when I saw this article, I thought I would mention it. As usual, for every aricle that suggests that something is bad for you, there are an equal amount to say it is good for you. I would put more credence in the researcher's report, since he has no axe to grind, than a Jamaican nutritionist, who is protecting his national dish.

Fried chicken, mash potatao and gravy may be good for you in the short term, but without exercise and limit, is bad for you in the long term.

Ackee, along with other factors, may be a contributing factor to prostate cancer. We just have to be circumspect and follow our doctors advice.

Maybe Dr. Simon can enlighten us on this matter.

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fnpsr

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fnspr

tenman » 2011-08-30 21:16

fnpsr I found an article on the issue jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20070325/out/out1.html which states:
"There may be no truth at all, states local nutritionist Paul 'Tehuti' Johnson, who told Outlook, "The evidence that ackee consumption is a reason to explain the high rates of prostate cancer in Jamaica is at best remote and borders on grand speculation."

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tenman

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food for thought

fnpsr » 2011-08-30 20:31

It is said that Jamaican men have a high incidence of prostate cancer.I once read paper by a researcher at the University of Chicago, suggesting that Ackee may be a contributing factor.

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fnpsr

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i didnt kno that

nancy » 2011-08-30 19:13

hey thir you look like you just got out of bed. i hope it was nice.was he working or it was you doing the working out.just want to say good luck on the hunting

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nancy

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i didnt kno that

nancy » 2011-08-30 19:09

reallly thanks

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nancy

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REFRESH
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