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Achiote (''Bixa orellana'') is a shrub or small tree originating from the tropical region of the Americas. Central and South American natives originally used the seeds to make red body paint and lipstick. For this reason, the achiote is sometimes called the lipstick tree. The tree is best known as the source of annatto, a natural orange-red condiment (also called "achiote" or "bijol") obtained from the waxy arils that cover its seeds. The ground seeds are widely used in traditional dishes in South and Central America, the Caribbean, and Mexico; such as ''cochinita pibil'', chicken in ''achiote'' and ''caldo de olla''. Annatto and its extracts are also used as an industrial food coloring to add yellow or orange color to many products such as butter, cheese, sausages, cakes, and popcorn. The species name was given by Linnaeus after the Spanish conquistador Francisco de Orellana, an early explorer of the Amazon River. The name ''achiote'' derives from the Nahuatl word for the shrub, ''āchiotl'' . It may also be referred to as ''aploppas'', or by its original Tupi name ''uruku'', ''urucu'' or ''urucum'' ("red color"), which is also used for the body paint prepared from its seeds. ==Characteristics== ''Bixa orellana'' is a tall shrub to small evergreen tree high. It bears clusters of bright white to pink flowers, resembling single wild roses, appearing at the tips of the branches. The fruits are in clusters: spiky looking red-brown seed pods covered in soft spines. Each pod contains many seeds covered with a thin waxy blood-red aril. When fully mature, the pod dries, hardens, and splits open, exposing the seeds. The color of the seed coating is due mainly to the carotenoid pigments bixin and norbixin. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「bixa orellana」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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