Spice
Bixa orellana
A tier
Bixa orellana is the tropical shrub that produces annatto—spiny pods packed with seeds coated in waxy red carotenoid pulp. The plant is the sole commercial source of true annatto colour and the mild peppery, earthy flavour beneath the dye. Seeds keep colour best whole and dry. Latin American and Filipino kitchens extract hue into oil or water for rice, stews, and marinades. Species-level identity separates real achiote from synthetic orange colouring. Grow in frost-free climates; most cooks meet the plant only as dried seed or paste.
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History
Indigenous Amazonian and Mesoamerican peoples used Bixa orellana for body paint and food colour.
European colonists adopted Bixa seeds as a New World dye and kitchen colourant.
Botany fixed Bixa orellana as the annatto species of commerce.
Food industry scaled Bixa extracts for cheese and snack colouring worldwide.