Cooking With Annatto

Annatto has many varying uses ranging from war paint to lipstick to food coloring and just about everything else you can think of in between. Having been used for years as a food additive the product is catching on greatly in society today for its multi uses and looks to continue growing in popularity in the coming years.

If you were to travel to Central of South America you might just stumble across the achiote tree which is the host to the annatto seed. This heart shaped seed is red colored and thus is used as a red food coloring in the kitchen. Most commonly it is used to color various cheeses such as cheddar, brie, and others. In general cheese makers will use the seed in their lower grade cheeses to give it a flair and get it sold better than if it did not have the color.

Aside from its coloring aspects the achiote tree is also rich in antioxidants which are said to be passed to the fruit and then ultimately to you. Cooks may also use the product as an oil in their cooking to reduce sticking and enhance the flavor of the product at the same time. It is a wonder that annatto is not more widely known in and out of the kitchen for all of its many uses.

Its rather interesting when you find something that at one point in history was used as face paint to fend off evil spirits. In another generation it was and still is used as a lipstick (hence the reason some call it the lipstick tree), and on top of all of that you are able to use the product in your everyday cooking either as an oil or a food coloring to give your food some flair.

Their are similar products to the annatto out there today, so perhaps that is the reason it is not very widely used, however you would have a hard time finding one with as many uses. At the end of the day, when you set up to cook a meal in the kitchen it is not always about the ingredients that you are using, or the tools that you are mixing with. Rather it is about the time, effort, and care that you put into each meal. Though if you are looking to add a little something extra, annatto may be for you.

By: Peter Foti

About the Author:
Annatto is a rather useful spice and should be used more in kitchens and on tables around America and abroad. With its large range the true annatto color is not known although it has been used as red, yellow and brown before.