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achiote

achiote

1 8.6
A red spice and dye that people make from seeds of a tropical plant to color and flavor food
  • noun
  • /əˈtʃiːoʊt/
  • US
translation icon : achiote
  • When preparing traditional cochinita pibil, the meat is often coated in achiote before being wrapped in banana leaves.
  • achiote paste
  • achiote sauce
  • pork in achiote

Examples

  • The chef mixed achiote into the marinade to enhance the taste of the grilled chicken.

  • Daubing their faces with pulped achiote seeds, they wear necklaces strung with boar's teeth and hunt with poisoned arrows and blow guns.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • Aachiote is the key ingredient that gives the dish its vibrant color and distinctive flavor.

Surface Forms

achiote singular
achiotes plural

Etymology

Achiote comes from the Nahuatl word achiotl, the word for the red seeds used to make a strong orange-red dye and spice, so today achiote often means the reddish seasoning or dye made from those seeds.