akee

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable or uncountable

   A variant spelling of ackee, a tropical tree whose red fruit splits open to show yellow flesh that is cooked as food in Jamaica.

   Grammar: Countable for the tree or fruit, uncountable as food: akee and saltfish.

   Patterns

   • akee and saltfish

   The akee tree in the yard was heavy with red pods.

   Akee is cooked with saltfish for a traditional Jamaican breakfast.

   The cook waited until the akee pods had opened naturally.

2. 2noununcountablespecialist

   The soft yellow edible part of this fruit, which is poisonous if the pod is eaten before it has opened by itself.

   Grammar: Always cook it properly and only from ripe, opened pods.

   Patterns

   • unripe akee
   • cooked akee

   Unripe akee contains a toxin that can make people seriously ill.

   The soft akee was gently fried with onions and peppers.

   Canned akee is exported to many countries.

Word forms

Common combinations

akee and saltfish

We ordered akee and saltfish at the Caribbean café.

akee tree

An akee tree shaded the back garden.

ripe akee

Only ripe akee that has opened itself is safe to eat.

unripe akee

Unripe akee must never be eaten.

canned akee

Canned akee is a convenient way to try the dish.

Synonyms and how they differ

ackee

Ackee is the usual, standard spelling of the same fruit, so it is the one to choose in formal writing and on menus.

achee

Achee is another rare spelling of the same word, found only in older or regional texts.

Word family

ackee noun

the more common spelling of the same fruit

ackee tree noun

the tropical tree that bears the fruit

Commonly confused: akee or akita?

Practice

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Write a sentence using “akee”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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