When ackee is KING

Rasbert Turner, Gleaner Writer

The flexibility of the national fruit was in full glory in Linstead on Heroes Day. The occasion was the eighth staging of the Linstead Ackee and Jerk Festival.

It proved that although there were other products on hand, the national fruit was still king.

Ackee and saltfish, ackee and corn pork, ackee and red herring, ackee and mackerel, both salted and tin, were available.

Ackee was also served with shrimp, lobster, chicken back, stuffed in fish, put in patties, made into balls, and ackee cup cakes were in abundance.

"This is a very good festival and the community need to embrace it as its own, as ackee is synonymous with Linstead. This helps to highlight the flexibility of he fruit," notes patron Pauline Brown.

The national fruit was accompanied by rice, turned corn meal, breadfruit, festival, bammy, fried plantain and green bananas.

The showers that were intermittent were definitely showers of blessing, as residents came out in droves to enjoy ackee in any and every form.