Roucou/Oucou: in Trinidad and Tobago, Martinique, and Guadalupe
Sindoor: in India
Annatto/Atsuete/Achuete/Achwete/Echuete: in the Philippines
Urucul: as known by the Tupi-Guarani Indians of the Amazon
Source
Extract from Seeds of Achiote Plant (Bixa orellana)
Also known as “lipstick tree”
Plant is tropical and native to Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean
Uses
Food Coloring in Yellow-Orange Cheeses: annatto may be used as a food coloring in yellow-orange cheeses (Cheddar, Gloucester, and Red Leicester) and cheese products (American cheese, Velveeta)
During the summer months, carotene-rich grasses eaten by cows would normally impart a yellow-orange color to the milk -> this “summer milk” has traditionally been used to manufacture higher quality cheeses, giving them their characteristic yellow-orange color
In an attempt to mimic this coloration, inferior quality yellow cheeses typically use annatto as a food coloring
Food Coloring in Latin American Cuisine:
Example: food coloring that was traditionally used to deepen the color of the ancient Aztec chocolate drink
Example: Mexican arroz con pollo (annatto is used instead of saffron in Spanish recipes where saffron would have been used)
Example: Puerto Rican arroz con pollo (recipe uses “sazon con culantro y achiote”)
