June 1908.] 



535 



Edible Products. 



THE AKEB TRftti-BLIUHIA 

 SAPID A, 



By Jno. P. Waby, 



This is a tree originally found in West 

 Africa belonging: to the natural order 

 Sapindaeeaj. It is also known under the 

 nane Cupania, that of Blighia being 

 given in the honour of Captain William 

 Bligh, of H.M.S. "Bouuty," who im- 

 ported the plant, together with the 

 Bread-fruit plant, from the island of 

 Tahiti to the West Indies over a hundred 

 years ago. 



It grows to a height of some 30 feet 

 with a spreading head, but till about 20 

 feet high is a handsome ornamental tree 

 of a pyramidal form. It bears a fruiu 

 which is a valuable esculent and highly 

 prized by Europeans in the West Indies. 



It has been cultivated more in the 

 island of Jamaica than elsewhere, and 

 till a few years since only a few 

 trees were growing in Demerara, some 

 half-dozen beiug in the city of George- 

 town. Latterly others have been grown 

 in various parts of the colony, though to 

 no great extent. In the Botanic Gar- 

 dens it has never reached its fruiting 

 stage, generally dying out in two or 

 three years, but in the old Military 

 Burial Ground at Eve Leary some 

 planted in the year 1900 fruited in six 

 years, One plant, a handsome young 

 tree in the Promenade Gardens, has been 

 fruiting regularly for several years. It 

 has two seasons of fruiting, a light one 

 in the spring about the month of March 

 aud a heavier one in the autumn about 

 September or October. 



The leaves are large, pinnate, in four 

 and five pairs, and occasionally six pairs 

 of leaflets. These are oblong in shape 

 about 9 inches by 3 inches of an ordinary 

 shining green above and pale dull green 

 beneath ; the veins are prominent, 

 regular, about § inch between them. 

 The flowers are small, borne on racemes 

 to 9 inches long, pendant from the 

 axils of the leaves. The fruit is a suc- 

 culent dehiscent capsule, a very pretty 

 object, hanging like a crimson and 

 yellow egg, 2k to 3 inches loug and 3 

 inches wide, three-sided. When ripe it 

 opens in three valves, splitting down 

 the middle of each side, disclosing three 

 thick cream-coloured nut-like masses ; at 

 the base of each is embedded a shining 

 black seed as large as a good sized marble. 

 The case of the fruit is leathery about 

 quarter inch thick. The cream-coloured 

 masses, botanically known as '•arils," 

 are the parts used for food ; they are 

 formed, of two, lobes, having a. pink 



coloured integument between them 

 which attaches them to the centre of 

 the fruit. 



The fruit must be picked fresh, i.e., as 

 soon as it splits open, because if allowed 

 to hang long exposed to the air the arils 

 become discouloured and stale, aud are 

 then unfit for food. Ants are very fond 

 of the arils, so that when the fruit is 

 picked it must be placed where these 

 pests cannot get at it. 



To prepare for use break open the 

 fruit aud detach the arils with the 

 seeds, then break out the seeds. Split 

 the arils in two and take out the pink- 

 coloured integument ; this is the portion 

 which must be avoided as it is con- 

 sidered to be highly poisonous. In 

 whatever way the akee is used it should 

 be washed in salt and water to ensure 

 its being perfectly clean. I cannot do 

 better than give tlie late Mr. Jenmau's 

 receipts for the cooking of this deli- 

 cious vegetable— for as a vegetable it is 

 always used though it may be eaten raw 

 — as he was a connoisseur in the matter 

 and was the means of making the use of 

 it largely known in the colony, gather- 

 ing the fruit whenever he could get it, 

 having it cooked in various ways and 

 distributing it to whoever cared to try 

 it. These are taken from his publica- 

 tions in " Garden, Field and Forest" in 

 the year 1888 : — 



" First, I will describe the making of 

 the well-known dish salt fish and akees. 

 After careful cleaning and washing 

 put the akees into boiling water in 

 which a good pinch of salt has been 

 thrown and boil slowly for ten or fifteen 

 minutes, being careful not to boil too 

 much. The use of boiling water is essen- 

 tial ; if cold water be used the substance 

 loses its firmness and becomes soft 

 and watery before the boiling heat is 

 reached. When they have boiled 

 the required time, pour the water off 

 and drain as dry as possible. In the 

 meantime the saltfish has been boiled 

 in the ordinary way ; it has been shred- 

 ded with a fork, and all the bones care- 

 fully removed. Then take both fish and 

 akees, adding butter or lard according 

 to taste and mix them together ; in 

 doing so being careful, for the sake of 

 effect when the dish is placed on the 

 table, not to break the akees too much, 

 and serve hot. 



"Akees may also be used for making 

 fritters. For this purpose boil in the 

 same way, drain dry, and beat them up 

 with egg and seasoning, Fry and serve 

 hot. The fritters may be modified by 

 the addition of other substance in the 

 making, such as fish or potatoi 



