Achiote and annatto are used interchangeably. While it's often employed to give a dish a yellow color, it also has a mild peppery flavor. Whether it is as whole seeds or a ground spice, achiote paste, or achiote oil, you'll come across this ingredient quite often when exploring Mexican or Caribbean cuisine.

What Is Achiote? 

Achiote is a spice and coloring agent extracted from the seeds of the evergreen Bixa orellana shrub. After macerating in water, the pulp surrounding the seeds is made into cakes for further processing into dyes. The seeds are dried and used whole or ground as a culinary spice. Commercially, achiote is used to add yellow color to chorizo, butter and margarine, cheese, and smoked fish.

Origins

Achiote is native to the tropical areas of the ...