Ackee is the main ingredient in Jamaica’s national dish, ackee and saltfish.
Ackee is a West African fruit introduced to Jamaica before the 18th century. Its scientific name is Blighia sapida, and the fruit is related to the lychee. In Jamaica, the ripe arils are cooked with salted cod, onions, tomatoes, peppers and seasonings.
Ackee must be fully ripe and naturally opened before it is eaten. Unripe ackee and the seeds contain hypoglycin toxins, which can cause Jamaican vomiting sickness. Properly prepared canned ackee is therefore widely used outside the fruit’s growing season.
The dish is commonly served for breakfast, often with fried plantain, breadfruit, dumplings or hard dough bread. Saltfish refers to salted and dried cod, although other salted fish can be used in some variations. Ackee and saltfish became especially associated with Jamaican national identity after independence in 1962.