About Achiote

Achiote is one of the most essential ingredients in any Costa Rican kitchen, especially in my grandmother’s. I can recognize any dish that has achiote through its vibrant red-orange color and slightly earthy flavor. Arroz con pollo, tamales, chorizo con papas, and picadillo are all transformed with just a spoonful of achiote.

To understand the significance of achiote in Central and South American cuisine, I researched the Spanish influence on Latin American food culture dating back to the colonization of the Americas in the 15th and 16th centuries. According to food historian Elisabeth Lambert Oritz, sofrito may have been one of the earliest adoptions of achiote. Elisabeth explains that sofrito - an aromatic base for many Latin American dishes - is a Spanish term for "lightly fried" and made its way to Central America from Spain. Spanish sofrito typically consisted of onions, garlic, sausage, and herbs. In Latin America, annatto was added to sofrito for its color and flavor, replacing the use of saffron, a spice traditional to Spanish food.

Achiote comes from the annatto seeds grown on the tropical Bixa orellana tree, which is native to Latin America and the Caribbean. In addition to cuisine, the seeds also had pre-Colombian applications, such as natural dye and ink.

Illustration credit: Annatto seed dyed postcard from nottapixiepress, esty.com

Today, achiote seeds are processed into a variety of oils, pastes, or powders for culinary purposes. On a recent trip to Costa Rica, I found fresh achiote seeds and achiote spice mix sold at the farmers market. There isn’t an exact replacement for achiote, but if you’re in a pinch, a friend of mine recommends using a mixture of paprika, oregano, garlic powder, white vinegar, and neutral oil. 

Annatto seeds at the San Jose farmers market

Some tips for buying achiote:
- Choose achiote paste or mix that is additive-free
- Paste: annatto seeds are soaked in water and then ground together
- Oil: annatto seeds are steeped in neutral oil and then strained. Read more on how to make achiote oil in my recipe for chorizo con papas.
- Powder: fresh seeds ground into a powder, sometimes mixed with other spices

Where to buy annatto seeds or achiote:
- Loisa
- La Boite
- Curubanda (a Costa Rican company dedicated to the conservation and preservation of native ingredients)
- Los Patitos (this is the achiote paste I buy when I am in Costa Rica)
- Spiceology 

References:
A Taste of Latin American, Elisabeth Lambert Ortiz
The Grammar of Spice, Thames & Hudson
Gran Cocina Latina, Maricel E. Presilla