Other species of rubber are cooked with red achiote seeds to make a durable latex paint for adorning the body. The golfball-sized seeds of *Hevea* are cooked and eaten by the Machiguenga.

It was one of those occasions when I had no expectations of any great food until I tried this crab dish, scented with achiote and pasilla chilli. I should have asked for the recipe, but we had to ...