Annatto : It’s Uses and Origins

Author: admin | Date: February 24, 2010 | Please Comment!

Annatto is used as a spice and also for dyeing purposes. It comes from the achiote tree which is really more of a bush. Its genus is bixa and the species is B. orellana. It produces a beautiful flower that consists of five petals and is a pale shade of lavender. The fruit it produces is a reddish brown color; heart shaped and covered in short stiff hairs, not quite as pretty as the flower it produces but it is very useful for many things. The fruit when it reaches maturity will pop open and expose a cluster of seeds. The red-orange red pulp that covers the seeds is used in food coloring, seasoning and dyes.

The achiiote tree is found in the tropical regions of the Americas mostly South America and the Caribbean’s. These cultures often use annatto as a seasoning and coloring in their cuisine. Its scent is a light peppery with hints of nutmeg and the flavor is also of a mild peppery taste with a hint of sweetness. The annatto is used to color many cheeses Cheddar, Red Leicester and even Brie. It Is also used to color butter, margarine, rice and smoked fish. Since it is grown and not produced in a lab, the foods that it is used to color can be labeled with “natural coloring”. When steeped or roasted in oil; and then mixed with other spices it creates a paste that can be added to beans, meats, stews, soups, tamales and even rice to add flavor. It is used in many different cuisines like Caribbean, Asian and Southwestern.

Brazil is thought to be the origin of annatto. Given the bright red dye that can be made from the pulp surrounding the seeds it is thought to have been originally used for body paints to drive away or ward off evil spirits. The ancient Aztecs found a use for the red dye that could be made from the orange pulp; they used it for Mexican manuscript painting in or around the 16th century. Given the bright red dye that can be made from annatto it has been used in the making of many lipsticks giving the achiote tree the nickname “the lipstick” tree.
Indigenous rainforest tribes have also used it for medicinal purposes. They have used it as an acid reducer to treat heartburn, to stimulate digestion and as a mild laxative. They have also used it to kill bacteria, germs and parasites. It is also used to increase urination, liver health and to aid in the reduction of high blood pressure. It is used to reduce fever, phlegm and inflammation. The leaves, seeds, flowers and roots are utilized. Young shoots of the plant are also used as an aphrodisiac.

To use as body paints to ward off evil spirits or to steep and use to ward off heart burn there are many uses for annatto. To season and color the foods we eat or to make into paint for the ancient Aztecs to produce artwork we can find annatto in our past and most certainly in our futures.

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