Ackee

Theackee(Blighia sapida), also known asacki,akee, orackee apple, is a fruit of theSapindaceae(soapberry) family, as are thelycheeand thelongan. It is native to tropicalWest Africa.The scientific name honours CaptainWilliam Blighwho took the fruit fromJamaicato theRoyal Botanic GardensinKew, England, in 1793.The English common name is derived from the West AfricanAkan-languagenameakye fufo.
Although having a long-held reputation as being poisonous with potential fatalities,the fruitarilsare renowned as delicious when ripe, prepared properly, and cookedand are a feature of variousCaribbean cuisines.Ackee is thenational fruitof Jamaica and is considered a delicacy.
Ackee is anevergreentree that grows about 10 metres tall, with a shorttrunkand a densecrown.The leaves areparipinnately,compound15–30 centimetres (6–12 inches) long, with 6–10 elliptical to oblong leathery leaflets. Each leaflet is8–12 cm (3–4+1⁄2in) long and 5–8 cm (2–3 in) wide. Theinflorescencesare fragrant, up to 20 cm long, withunisexualflowers that bloom during warm months.Each flower has five greenish-whitepetals, which are fragrant.
The fruit is pear-shaped and has three lobes (two to four lobes are common).When it ripens it turns from green to a bright red to yellow-orange and splits open to reveal three large, shiny black seeds, each partly surrounded by soft, creamy or spongy, white to yellow flesh — thearilhaving a nut-like flavor and texture of scrambled eggs.The fruit typically weighs100–200 grams (3+1⁄2–7 ounces).The tree can produce fruit throughout the year, although January–March and October–November are typically periods of fruit production.
There are up to as many as forty-eight cultivars of ackee, which are grouped into either "butter" or "cheese" types.The cheese type is pale yellow in color and is more robust and finds use in the canning industry. The butter type is deeper yellow in color, and is more delicate and better suited for certain cuisine.
Imported to Jamaica from West Africa before 1773,the use of ackee inJamaican cuisineis prominent. Ackee is the national fruit of Jamaica,whilstackee and saltfishis the official national dish of Jamaica.
The ackee is allowed to open fully before picking in order to eliminate toxicity. When it has "yawned" or "smiled", the seeds are discarded and the fresh, firm arils areparboiledin salted water or milk, and may be fried in butter to create a dish.In Caribbean cooking, they may be cooked withcodfishand vegetables, or may be added to stew, curry, soup or rice with seasonings.
Ackee contains a moderate amount of carbohydrates, protein, and fat,providing 51–58% of the dry weight of the arils as composed offatty acids–linoleic,palmitic, andstearic acids.The raw fruit is a rich source ofvitamin C.
The ackee is prominently featured in the Jamaicanmentostyle folksong "Linstead Market". In the song, a market seller laments, "Carry mi ackee go a Linstead market. Not a quattie worth sell".The Beat's 1982 albumSpecial Beat Serviceincludes the song "Ackee 1-2-3".
The unripened aril and the inedible portions of the fruit contain hypoglycin toxins includinghypoglycin Aandhypoglycin B, known as "soapberry toxins".Hypoglycin A is found in both the seeds and the arils, while hypoglycin B is found only in the seeds.Minimal quantities of the toxin are found in the ripe arils.In the unripe fruit, depending on the season and exposure to the sun, the concentrations may be up to 10 to 100 times greater.
These two molecules are converted in the body tomethylenecyclopropylacetic acid(MCPA), and are toxic with potentiallethality.MCPA and hypoglycin A inhibit severalenzymesinvolved in the breakdown ofacyl CoAcompounds, often binding irreversibly tocoenzyme A,carnitineandcarnitine acyltransferase IandII,reducing theirbioavailabilityand consequently inhibitingbeta oxidationoffatty acids.  Glucose stores are consequently depleted leading tohypoglycemia,and to a condition calledJamaican vomiting sickness.These effects occur only when the unripe aril (or an inedible part of the fruit) is consumed.
Though ackee is used widely in traditional dishes, research on its potential hypoglycin toxicity has been sparse and preliminary, requiring evaluation in well-designedclinical researchto better understand itspharmacology, food uses, and methods for detoxification.
In 2011, it was found that as the fruit ripens, the seeds act as a sink whereby the hypoglycin A in the arils convert to hypoglycin B in the seeds.In other words, the seeds help in detoxifying the arils, bringing the concentration of hypoglycin A to a level which is generally safe for consumption.
Ackee canned in brine is a commodity item and is used for export by Jamaica, Haiti and Belize.If propagated by seed, trees will begin to fruit in 3–4 years.Cuttingsmay yield fruit in 1–2 years.
The fruit has various uses in West Africa and in rural areas of the Caribbean Islands, including use of its "soap" properties as a laundering agent or fish poison.The fragrant flowers may be used as decoration orcologne, and the durableheartwoodused for construction,pilings, oars, paddles and casks.In Africantraditional medicine, the ripe arils, leaves or bark were used to treat minor ailments.
The seeds were formerly used as standardized weights for weighing gold dust, leading to the currency issued by Great Britain in the former colony ofGold Coastto be named the "Gold Coast ackey".