Annatto

Posted in Spices and Herbs Tell-a-Friend
Annatto seeds and powder 

The dark red seeds of the annatto tree (Bixa orellana), a tropical evergreen, are used mainly for the deep reddish orange colour they impart. Annatto, native to Latin America, is now cultivated in many tropical countries, especially the Philippines. In Europe, annatto was used to deepen the colour of chocolate until the seventeenth century. In Mexico, annatto colours stews, sauces, and tacos. In the Yucatán, annatto is combined with other spices to make brick red seasoning pastes: achiote paste and adobo. In the United States and Europe, annatto provides natural colour for butter and cheeses such as orange Cheddars, English red Cheshire, and the red wax coating for Dutch Edam

Annatto paste 
In the Caribbean, the seeds are usually heated in lard or oil to extract their colour; the yellowish orange oil is strained and used as a cooking fat. In the Philippines, it goes into pipian, a dish of chicken and pork. The Chinese use it to colour roast pork. In Vietnam, annatto is added to frying batters and coconut-based curries for its colour. A Vietnamese version of Beijing duck (ga quay mat ong) uses annatto oil to colour the bird’s skin.

Other Names
Açafroa-do-Brasil or anato (Portuguese); achiote; achote; achuete (Tagalog); annatto or _orleanstrauch (German); anotto (Italian); beninoki (Japanese); hot dieu mau (Vietnamese); jarak belanda (Malay); kam tai (Thai); kesumba (Indonesian); _latkhan or sendri (Hindi); lipstick tree; natural colour E1606; roucou (French)
Purchase
For simmering in oil, purchase whole annatto seeds that are uniformly dark brick red without any flaky pieces of dried pulp. Purchase ground annatto for mixing into sauces or making seasoning pastes; the whole seeds are quite hard and difficult to pulverize.
Serving Suggestions
  • Use annatto oil for frying vegetables, fish, poultry, and pork.

  • Use powdered annatto to colour vegetable curries, Chinese-style roast pork, or chicken, vegetable, or pork stews.

  • Colour beer batter or other frying batters with a little powdered annatto.

Food Affinities

Category: Spices and Herbs

Sub Category: Spice

Total Views: 2335

Word Count: 648

Comment on Twitter

More Articles in "Spices and Herbs"

Nutmeg and Mace
Posted 19.04.2011 in Spices and Herbs
Nutmeg and Mace
Nutmeg is the large, light grayish brown, speckled, wood-hard kernel that grows inside the apricot-like fruit of a tropical tree (Myristica fragrans)…
View Details »
Speserye
Posted 03.10.2009 in Spices and Herbs
Speserye
Eksotiese speserye van regoor die wêreld is deesdae tot ons beskikking – tog beteken die beskikbaarheid daarvan maar min as jy nie weet hoe om dit te…
View Details »
Allspice
Posted 03.11.2009 in Spices and Herbs
Allspice
Allspice takes its name from its aroma, which smells like a combination of spices, especially cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg, hence the name…
View Details »
Szechuan Peppercorns
Posted 19.04.2011 in Spices and Herbs
Szechuan Peppercorns
Szechuan peppercorns are the dried husks that surround the seeds of the Chinese prickly ash tree (Zanthoxylum simulans). Usually reddish brown, the fruits…
View Details »
Asafetida
Posted 12.04.2011 in Spices and Herbs
Asafetida
Asafetida (Hing) is an essential ingredient in Indian vegetarian cooking. Asafetida is the strong-smelling, even stinking, dried brownish resin extracted…
View Details »

All Articles in "Spices and Herbs"