Aceite de Achiote

Achiote, also called annatto, is used throughout the Caribbean and Latin America as a coloring and flavoring for food. The small, hard, brick-red seeds grow in clusters on Bixa orellana, a flowering tropical tree. In Cuban cooking, the whole seeds are used to color and flavor cooking oil, and ground seeds are combined with cumin and corn flour to make bijol, a seasoning that is often substituted for more expensive saffron. I have used achiote in cooking for many years, but the