Ackee and saltfish

Ackee and saltfish is a traditional Jamaican dish. It is the Jamaican national dish.

The ackee fruit was imported to the Caribbean from Ghana before 1725, as 'Ackee' or 'Aki' is another name for the Akan people, Akyem. It is also known as Blighia sapida. The scientific name honours Captain William Bligh who took the fruit from Jamaica to the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, England in 1793 and introduced it to science. Because parts of the fruit are toxic, there are shipping restrictions when being imported to countries such as the United States.

To prepare the dish, salt cod is sautéed with boiled ackee, onions, Scotch bonnet peppers, tomatoes, and spices, such as black pepper and pimiento. It can be garnished with bacon and tomatoes, and is usually served as breakfast or dinner alongside breadfruit, hard dough bread, dumplings, fried plantains, or boiled green bananas.

Ackee and saltfish can also be eaten with rice and peas or plain white rice. When seasonings (onion, escallion, thyme, garlic) and saltfish are combined with plain rice it is often called seasoned rice which can be a one-pot meal including ackee.

See also
 List of Jamaican dishes

References

Category:Jamaican cuisine
Category:Fish dishes
Category:National dishes
Category:Food combinations