A true, although almost unbelievable, is the story of Captain William Bligh and the mutiny on IBIS “Bounty.”
As we relive with mounting excitement this significant bit of history, we are apt to forget the purpose of the Bounty’s voyage to Tahiti, which was to take on a cargo of young breadfruit trees and bring them to the West Indies.
The enslaved Africans, imported into Jamaica and other West Indian islands to work in the sugar plantations, needed more food than the islands produced.
Glowing accounts by Dampier and Captain Cook of the breadfruit in the South Pacific and its great value as a foodstuff there made it appear to be an ideal solution to the problem.
Capture Of Bligh
The mutineers took the Bounty; Bligh and the 18 men who remained loyal to him were given a small boat, poorly provisioned, and left to make their way to land against the tremendous odds.
After sailing more than 3,000 miles, they reached Timor, finally making their way back to England. Undaunted by this experience, the captain set out again and completed his mission.
Several hundred young breadfruit trees, Arlocarpus cannabis, were planted on West Indian islands and brought to fruition.
Africans Prefer The Akee
The Africans, however, did not care for this new article of diet, preferring fruits from their native lands. One such fruit, from the Gold and Ivory Coasts of West Africa, was called by the natives the Akee.
Brought from there to tropical America, it grew well and soon became a favorite food for the negro population and the inhabitants. It was christened with the botanical name Blighia sapida as a tribute to that tough old sailor.
The Akee is not only a plant of economic value, however. When grown under suitable conditions, it has great beauty and is planted in South Florida principally as an ornamental.
Fast-growing, it makes a smooth, straight trunk and a rounded head. The foliage is pinnate, resembling a walnut leaf, with four or five pairs of rather stiff leaflets that are moderately glossy on the upper surface. The branches are usually slender and curving; the soft wood breaks easily in high winds.
Fruits Have Spicy Aroma
This tree seems to have a vague season for producing fruits. It may put on a flush of bloom anytime during the spring, summer, or fall. Finding ripe fruit and new blossoms on the same tree is common.
The delicate sprays of greenish-white flowers, with pointed petals, and the stamens extending beyond them, appear from the leaf arils scatteringly all over the plant.
They have a spicy aroma of cloves which sometimes scents the whole garden.
The tree is most beautiful when the bell-shaped fruits begin to ripen. They are usually about 3” inches long, hanging in loose groups on long, slender stems inside and outside the foliage.
Where the sun strikes them, they turn a brilliant sealing wax red, reminding one of the baubles on a Christmas tree.
They are divided into three parts, with definite seams, along which they split when mature, beginning at the large end—opening wider and wider.
They expose three shiny black seeds as large as marbles, embedded in the creamy arils, or “meats,” which are the edible part of the fruit.
When the seeds and arils are removed, one finds that they have been lying on a bed of the softest velvet.
Cooked Akee Fruits Have Nutty Flavor
The meats are usually cooked and served as a vegetable. They are not sweet but have a nutty flavor.
After a few samplings, almost everyone lie-comes fond of the unusual taste. The fruit should lie picked just as the seams open or as soon as possible.
The arils and seeds are removed from the shell, and the seeds are discarded. If a thin papery membrane, usually pink or red, is embedded in the meat, it should also be removed, as it may be bitter. Then each core is looked over to be sure there are no soft or moldy spots on it.
If any are found, that piece should be discarded too. Soon one has a bowl full of attractive ivory-colored meats, firm and delicious.
They have been likened to the brains of small animals; in fact, their name in Spanish-speaking countries is ma vegetal, vegetable brains.
Cook Fruits Like Mushrooms
The preferred method of cooking is pan-broiling, as mushrooms are done. When placed in the hot butter, they turn a bright yellow. After they brown slightly, a top should be put on the pan and simmer gently until well done but not mushy.
Another way to cook them is with salt fish. The Jamaicans depend primarily on what they jokingly refer to as their national dish: “end-fish and akee,” but there is no need to apologize for it – it is good eating.
Ripe Akees Are Not Poisonous
The Akee has a reputation for being poisonous, but this quality is vastly exaggerated. A little common sense is all that is necessary.
This is true of many of our foods. No one, with good judgment, will eat unripe fruit, nor will he want it if spoiled.
The Akee is ready to use once it opens of its own accord; when time meats have soft spots in them, they have begun to rot and are not wholesome.
J. J. Bowrey, the analytical chemist to the government of Jamaica, reported: “If the fruit is ripe and fresh, which can be known by its being open, the edible portion firm, and the red part bright in color. Therefore, it may be considered good safe food.
But if the fruit is not ripe, or if there are any signs of decay, such as mouldiness or softening of the edible portion, or a dingy color in the normal red part, the fruit should not be eaten.”
The Akee In South Florida
Although the Akee is a tree of the tropics, it can stand a moderate amount of frost. When its requirements for good growth are more widely understood, it will be found ornamenting many more South Florida gardens.
The chief difficulty in raising this tree is its dislike of too much alkalinity. From Fort Lauderdale southward to the Keys is found the Miami oolite, a limestone formation locally called “coral rock.”
It is necessary to use dynamite to grow most trees successfully in this rocky area. A hole at least 4’ feet in diameter and of the same depth should be blasted out and the rock removed.
Then some more minor charges should be placed in the bottom of the hole to crack the remaining rock and allow the roots to find their way down to the water table, which is usually about 10’ feet below the tire surface.
In the sandy portions of lower Florida, it is only necessary to dig out a large hole. In both cases, soil rich in humus must replace the rock or sand removed.
When the Akee is given a suitable location such as the above, it will overgrow and make a fine tree.
Unfortunately, too many residents in the area dig out a small hole by hand, only large enough to take the root system of the young plant. Set the little tree in this pocket. And expect it to grow well.
It will languish for a few years, the leaves sickly yellow from too much lime, the roots unable to penetrate the rock, and finally, it will give up, or its disgusted owner will have it removed. Thus a fine plant will be lost. Through ignorance or inattention to the adage: “A one-dollar tree in a 10-dollar hole.”
When traveling through the West Indies, ask for SOME akees, and have a new taste experience.
44659 by Lucita H. Wait