Poisonous fruit in jamaica. Fruit aki - useful properties and contraindications

Fruit aki - a plant of the Sapindaceae family. You can often hear the name "bligia". For the first time they learned about this plant in West Africa. Today it has spread widely to other areas with a warm climate. Unripe fruits are poisonous to humans, so in some countries this fruit is prohibited, for example, in the USA. In general, those fruits that did not open on their own and those that did not give in to heat treatment are considered poisonous.

Pear-shaped fruits are painted in a bright red-orange color, on average, reach a length of about 9 cm (see photo). Ripe fruits open on their own, exposing a juicy white flesh that has a nutty flavor. Inside the fruit are large black seeds that have a characteristic glossy sheen. You can eat the pulp, which looks like a walnut shell.

Beneficial features

The aki fruit contains acids, vitamins and trace elements that have a positive effect on the state of the body as a whole.

Cooking use

Aki fruit is eaten mainly in the cuisine of Jamaica. Most often, a side dish is made from the fruit, for which the pulp is first boiled and then fried in oil. The taste of such mashed potatoes is somewhat similar to an omelet. Yaks are combined with products of plant and animal origin. The fruits are canned, which makes it possible to export them all over the world.

Aki fruit benefits and treatment

The benefits of the aki fruit have been known for a long time and in their homeland it is widely used in traditional medicine recipes. So, for the preparation of drugs that help in the treatment of various diseases, seeds, roots and plant foliage are used. Oil is also widely used, which contains many nutrients and fatty acids.

Aki fruit harm and contraindications

Aki fruit can be harmful to people with individual intolerance to the product. In addition, unripe fruits contain poison, which can cause poisoning and even lead to death. Therefore, before eating the fruit, make sure that it is ripe and follow all heat treatment rules.

And the berries will be here too. And nuts. And even with a photo.

1. Mango, of course.

Several varieties. Ripens, usually in May-June, somewhere earlier, somewhere later. You can buy it all year round. In Jamaica, some people like to eat them with pepper and salt.

There is a picture of how it grows. And, in the second photo, too. Well, another picture:

2. Bananas... Where can we go without them. Also of several varieties.

They grow in packages - for export, so as not to damage the skin:

There are also those who cook. They are thinner than usual and green, I could not find a picture.

3. Plantine... Almost a banana, but not a banana. It grows differently, looks different.

And usually it is prepared before consumption. Can be in rice, for example. Or soup. But the most popular is to fry it and eat it for breakfast with sandwiches.

4. Oranges, tangerines... Usually the season is December-January. They look a little different from what everyone is used to. The skin is green-orange. But delicious.

5. Sweatsup... Sweet. The taste is not for everybody.

6. Soursap... From the same family, but sourish. I like it a lot more than the previous fruit. They also say it prevents the formation of cancer cells.

They also like to make juice from it.

7. Papaya... For my taste - a rare filth. But people say it looks like a melon. Hmm, if only once eaten.

8. Apples... Jamaican. They are somewhat reminiscent of a radish in appearance. For me :) It tastes like a pear. She knits. Recommended.

9. Staraple... "Star apple" means :) Not tasty.

10. Cannon... Or, in our opinion, a starfruit. You know, there are such "Chinese pears" in Russia - half-pear-half-apple? Here's something similar. I like.

11. Plum... Jamaican plum. June :)

They also like to use it for juice.

12. Also a kind of plum... It tastes like cherry plum.

13. Of course, like! National Jamaican fruit.

Generally used as a side dish. It tastes, ready-made, like an omelet. People say so. It doesn't remind me of an omelet, but oh well. In its raw form, it looks like an unripe walnut. Aki in an immature form is poisonous. You can use it only when the fruit opens, removing the skin, black seed and veins.

14. Cherry... Jamaican. I don’t know what to compare with.

15. Guinep... Something like grapes, only the skin is not eaten.

16. Avocado... They call it a pear. Used as a garnish for a garnish, for example. Or a sandwich for bread. Maybe someone puts it in salads - I don't know. They are not popular with us. Salads, I mean. Usually they chop cabbage with a cucumber and carrots - that's the salad.

17. Jack fruit... For some reason, it belongs to the breadfruit family, but oh well, scientists know better. It tastes like melon and gum. The smell is very strong. Nice, sweet. But it pisses me off, too sweet. smell, I mean.

18. Well, in that case, let it be nonsense fruit... This is a real breadfruit. The fruits are boiled, fried, baked. Half-pot, half-bread.

19. Watermelon... Red. And yellow. I like yellow better.

20. Coconut... It will be here too. Most often they drink it. Not his, of course, but the juice inside. They say it is good for the heart.

And then they cut it in half and eat the pulp that looks like jelly. (This, by the way, is one of the reasons why you can meet so many people with machetes. And not because you might think)

And they also make pies from coconut (the one you used to buy in stores at home). They also rub coconut into rice. And coconut milk can be added. As you like.

21. Sugarcane... If it's not a vegetable, then it will be right there.

They don't eat it, they chew it, sucking the sweet juice. And good for the teeth. Sugar, rum and beer are also obtained from cane.

22. Almond.

23. Cashew nuts.

24. Peanut.

25. Tamarind... Sweet and sour stuff. Add to cocktails, pies, sell separately. An original piece.

26. What what... The fruit probably grows on the tree. To taste - half-potato, half-cucumber. Usually put in soup.

27. Coffee add here too. Blue Mountain coffee is considered one of the best.

28. A pineapple... Imagine, I almost forgot about the pineapple!

If you search well, you can still get grapes, peaches, strawberries, strawberries and lychees. But it is very good to look for it. Not available for sale in fruit markets. Only in supermarkets - imported. But here are some who say that they grow deep in the mountains. In limited quantities. In some courtyards.

And then there are nasty things, similar in size and color to kiwi. These are some kind of berries, I forgot the name. But you better not try, awful :)

I also want to tell you about vegetables and herbs, but first I have to go to the market and take pictures, otherwise I got tired of the photo from the Internet. Yes, some of the photos in this post were brazenly poked from the Internet.

Let's hope I haven't forgotten anything. If you forgot - sorry.

What is included in aki, the calorie content of the fruit. Who can and can not eat it, can it harm. How to properly prepare the fruits of a plant and what you should know about them.

The content of the article:

Aki is an evergreen tree of the Sapindaceae family native to West Africa. Its fruits are called "tasty bligia" and are poisonous when unripe. Their shape is pear-shaped, the color ranges from bright orange to pale red, depending on the month. They reach 9 cm in length. Their taste resembles nutty, while the fruit exudes almost no smell. Its pulp is light yellow, with dark purple large and shiny seeds, which are usually no more than 3-4. They are not eaten in food, as well as the peel. In cooking, aki is used in a thermally processed form for preparing first and second courses, salads, desserts.

Composition and calorie content of aki fruits

The fruit is high in calories and contains a lot of water; it also contains fiber that is good for the intestines.

The calorie content of delicious bligi per 100 g is 151 kcal, of which:

• Proteins - 1 g;
• Fat - 15 g;
• Carbohydrates - 8 g.

Aki fruit contains a lot of fatty oil, which contains linoleic, palmitic and stearic acids. Vitamins include ascorbic acid, thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), pantothenic acid (B5), pyridoxine (B6), and folate (B9).

There are also minerals - phosphorus, iodine, potassium, zinc, calcium, magnesium.

In unripe fruits that have not opened naturally, the substance hypoglycine A is present, which is dangerous due to its toxicity. It can cause severe poisoning of the body and serious complications, which can even be fatal. This explains the ban on the import of this fruit by many countries, in particular the United States, although ripe fruits pose absolutely no danger if boiled for 10 minutes.

Useful properties of delicious bligia

The product is an excellent antioxidant that protects the body from premature aging. With its help, you can reduce the risk of developing various diseases of the liver, heart, kidneys, stomach, intestines and other organs. It can be used in therapeutic diets. True, after heat treatment, approximately 20% of all valuable substances are lost. The pulp has bright anti-inflammatory, regenerating, antibacterial, hemostatic properties.

Here's how aki fruits affect the body:

1. Increase immunity... Due to the content of a high percentage of ascorbic acid, the product increases the number of red blood cells in the blood and normalizes the hemoglobin level. Thanks to him, general malaise, dizziness, and migraine pass away. With its help, the risk of developing infectious diseases is reduced, especially in the cold season, when the flu is most common.
2. Remove toxins... Despite the fact that aki itself is in some sense poisonous, it successfully cleanses the body of dangerous substances. This allows you to prevent intoxication and improve overall health. Thus, more strength and energy appears, the likelihood of neoplasm growth decreases.
3. Fight viruses... Thanks to this, it is easier for the body to resist hepatitis, syphilis and other infections. It is needed to improve health in case of angina, flu, tonsillitis and other ENT diseases. The pulp suppresses the activity of pathogenic bacteria and promotes the appearance of good ones.
4. Take care of joints and teeth... You can give them health due to the fact that Aki contains a lot of phosphorus and calcium. Without them, bones and enamel become fragile, the likelihood of developing arthrosis, osteoporosis, osteochondrosis, arthritis, caries and other dental diseases increases. This problem is most often well known to those who do not consume meat and dairy products, eggs and fish for a long time.
5. Give good eyesight... This is important both for those who already have problems with it, and for absolutely healthy people. Due to the fact that Aki contains folic acid and magnesium, you can reduce the risk of developing retinal degeneration and detachment, hyperopia and myopia. This problem is more relevant than ever with vitamin deficiency and prolonged work at the computer.
6. Ensure the normal functioning of the cardiovascular system... It is about eliminating atherosclerotic plaques, purifying the blood from toxins, lowering cholesterol levels. Taken together, all this allows you to normalize blood pressure, ease the course of thrombophlebitis and varicose veins. It is also important for the prevention of myocardial infarction, atherosclerosis, stroke, which are most often encountered by people suffering from excess weight.
7. Quickly satisfy hunger... Being a rich source of "simple" carbohydrates, the fruit instantly suppresses appetite and saturates the body. This makes it great for use in between meals. This is a great option for those who, due to their excessive thinness, want to gain some weight.
8. Help with diabetes... The fruits of the plant are not able to cure the patient, but they have a positive effect on the work of the pancreas, stabilize the glucose level for a while, and saturate the body with the "simple" carbohydrates necessary for such a disease. They are useful due to the fact that they practically do not contain sugars.
9. Improves bowel function... Aki helps to eliminate flatulence and abdominal pain, relieves inflammation of the walls of this organ, cleanses it of feces and toxins. With its help, peristalsis and stool are normalized, static constipation, diarrhea and indigestion disappear. Takes care of the kidneys and bladder. The benefit of aki lies in the fact that the pulp contains substances through which these organs are cleansed of toxins and salts. This product is useful for nephritis and pyelonephritis, sand, stones and microliths in them.

Note! Raw fruit can do more harm than help, as it contains toxic substances. That is why it is highly advisable to process it before use.

Harm and contraindications to the use of aki

If you eat unopened fruits on your own, then there is a high probability of intoxication of the body. In this case, severe abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea, or even vomiting will appear. With such symptoms, you should immediately rinse the stomach with clean water (at least 1 liter) or activated carbon, acting strictly according to the instructions. This effect of the product is explained by the fact that it contains the poisonous substance hypoglycine, which quickly penetrates the bloodstream and disrupts the work of all organs.

Aki should never be eaten:

• For children... Their body is still too weak to fight the poison, the stomach cannot quickly digest this fruit. All this entails a violation of the stool, abdominal pain and other dangerous consequences.
• Pregnant... When using aki, the threat of miscarriage increases, especially in the early stages. In this case, it cannot be eaten in absolutely no form, even carefully processed.
• For stomach and intestinal ulcers... If you use aki at the stage of exacerbation of these diseases, it will be possible to open bleeding and severe pain in the navel. This is due to the fact that the pulp of the product contains a lot of fiber that irritates the mucous membrane.
• During lactation... In this case, poisons can be found in breast milk, which will lead to poisoning of the baby.
• Individual intolerance to the product... It is extremely rare, and mainly among those who suffer from various allergic reactions.

Important! As a result of poisoning and its neglect, liver dystrophy, a sharp drop in body temperature, hyperglycemic coma, and even death are often noted.

Recipes with delicious bligi

Since the fruit is poisonous in an immature form, just in case it is always cooked before use, it is mostly cooked. This allows you to destroy the toxic substances that make up it. Such fruits are used for conservation, preparation of salads, soups, side dishes, baked goods. Having a pronounced taste, they perfectly complement products of both plant and animal origin.

If you have not identified any contraindications for use, then you can use the following recipes:

1. Omelet... First of all, peel the aki (7 pcs) - peel off and remove the seeds. Then rinse it well and cook in salted water for about 20 minutes. Then twist the pulp in a meat grinder, doing the same with Adyghe cheese (150 g). Then combine them, beat in one egg, salt and pepper. After that, heat the pan, pour melted butter over it and pour the mixture, covered with a lid. After 3 minutes, turn the omelette, reduce heat and hold for another 1-2 minutes. Finally, transfer to a plate, cut into several pieces and sprinkle with herbs.
2. Jam... First, peel the fruit by removing all the seeds from them and removing the skins. In total, they will need about 2 kg. Then wash the gooseberries by twisting them in a meat grinder. Next, combine these two ingredients, add sugar (300 g) and water (80 ml) to them. Then just put the saucepan on low heat, holding it for about 50 minutes. All this time, you need to stir the mixture regularly so that it does not burn at the bottom. When the mass is ready, turn it off and let it cool. For now, prepare 0.5 liter glass jars, which must be thoroughly washed with baking soda and sterilized. The same should be done with metal covers. Now put the jam in the prepared containers and preserve them. After that, it remains only to lower it into the basement, putting it upside down for 5 days.
3. Pie... You will need to sift 2 cups of premium flour, which will then need to be mixed with 5 beaten eggs. Add 50 g of sugar to this mass, preferably cane sugar, slaked with vinegar 1 tsp. baking soda, milk powder (3 pinches) and potato starch (1 tsp). Now add homemade kefir (yogurt) to the ingredients, which will need no more than 150 ml. Next, knead the dough so that it turns out to be homogeneous and like thick sour cream, cover it with a napkin and send it to the refrigerator for an hour. In the meantime, prepare the filling by peeling and boiling 0.5 kg of aki. Then it needs to be heated to a state of gruel. Then take the dough out of the refrigerator and place it on a greased baking dish, make a thin layer of the filling on top and cover with the dough again. Put it to bake in the oven for about 30 minutes, after this time, try to pierce the pie with a toothpick - if nothing sticks to it, then you can get it out.
4. Canning... This method of harvesting fruit is very popular in Jamaica. It involves peeling fruits (3 kg) from seeds and peels, heat treatment in boiling water for 10 minutes, cutting the pulp and laying it out in sterilized 0.5-liter jars. The mass will need to be poured with "brine", for the preparation of which you need to mix warm boiled water (300 ml) and powdered sugar (about 400 g). They should be heated over high heat until the dry ingredient is completely dissolved. Next, this composition is poured into the fruits laid out in jars, which are then simply rolled up with lids. The finished preservation is placed in a cool place, where it is kept all winter. This could be a basement or a refrigerator.
5. Casserole... Rub cottage cheese (850 g) through a sieve, add sugar (180 g), salt (pinch), sour cream (7 tbsp. L.), Premium flour (150 g) and eggs (3 pcs.) To it. Now whisk this mixture with a blender and place on a greased baking dish. Then put the aki fruits boiled and minced in a meat grinder (300-400 g) here. Pour the dough on top with a thin layer and place the container in the oven for 20-30 minutes. After this time, the casserole should be browned. This same recipe can be used for a double boiler.

Note! The fruits of the plant can be fried without oil, as they are watery and sap quickly.

Aki's homeland is all of West Africa. Here the tree grows wild, and in the Bahamas and Antilles, Jamaica, in Central America, it is actively cultivated for food and decorative purposes. Small plantations are found in Colombia and Suriname.

Jamaica is considered the main exporter of aki, from where fruits are imported all over the world in canned form, like pineapples. Most often they are sold in metal cans ranging from 200 to 500 ml, which can be bought at the supermarket. The most popular of these products is Ackee canned food. The manufacturing company earns up to $ 13 million annually for their implementation.

The fruits of the plant are used for domestic purposes - in Africa, they are used to make soap. On this continent, they are used in cooking mainly in soups, pre-frying in a large amount of oil. In Jamaica, locals prefer to eat them boiled along with fish - hake or halibut.

In Chad, aki is used to make poison, which is used to poison fish to make it easier to catch them, although such methods are officially prohibited here. They say that if you eat fish euthanized in this way, you can end up in a hospital bed yourself.

Aki begins to bear fruit already at the 4th year of its life, and the crop is harvested twice a year - from January to March and from the beginning to the very end of summer. They pick only those fruits that have already opened on their own, otherwise they can be poisoned. Another name, "bligia", was given to them by William Bligh, an English navigator and slave delivery man from the African continent. It was he who brought them to Jamaica in 1793.

Watch the video about the fruits of aki:

When choosing any aki recipes, do not forget that this fruit must always be boiled or fried before cooking. This is the only way you can fully enjoy its exotic taste without harm to your health!

The aki fruit is rightfully considered the national fruit of Jamaica.

The yellowish-red fruit of the tree, that is, the aki fruit, is quite unusual - it is pear-shaped and is about 10 centimeters long. When the fruit is fully ripe, it cracks, and then a juicy beige pulp begins to peep out from under the peel. In this pulp are attached large glossy black seeds. Exceptionally ripe pulp with its characteristic mild nutty taste is suitable for food. Among the people, the aki fruit is often referred to as a "vegetable brain" for the appearance of an edible core, which really resembles the appearance of a human brain.

Aki's name comes from "Akye fufo" in Chwi in Ghana. Another name for "delicious bligia" is given in honor of William Bligh, known as "Captain Bligh" in connection with the memorable mutiny on the ship "Bounty". Bligh brought several plants from Jamaica to England in 1793 for the Kew Gardens collection, as well as the first breadfruit seedlings from Tahiti to Jamaica. Prior to this period, aki was unknown to science.

Spread

Aki's homeland is West Africa. It was introduced to Jamaica and later spread to Central America, Antilles and Bahamas. Solitary trees are also found in Brazil, Ecuador, Venezuela, Colombia and Suriname. Aki grows in Cuba, Haiti, Puerto Rico, Chile, Florida (USA), but Jamaica is the only place where Aki fruit is widely consumed. Canned food is exported to many countries, where it is sold in ethnic markets, for Jamaican immigrants, and guests of the island enjoy trying them.

Eating improperly cooked or unripe fruits can lead to poisoning, also called "Jamaican vomiting disease." The consequences are numerous and unpredictable: from the development of liver dystrophy to hyperglycemic coma and death. Therefore, before use, you must make sure that the fruits are ripe.

The note

In most countries, aki fruits are considered inedible, and in the United States they even imposed a ban on the import of aki fruits, the fact is that immature aki contains the dangerous toxin hypoglycine A, which can provoke a variety of complications, often ending in death.