Artocarpus altilis

breadfruit

Breadfruit is a member of the fig family, Moraceae. The Latin name, Artocarpus altilis, is derived from Greek (artos = bread, karpos = fruit), and altilis means ‘fat’.

Mature breadfruit may be eaten under-ripe as a savory vegetable dish or ripe as a sweet fruit dish. Under-ripe breadfruit is a healthy substitute for any starchy food such as rice and potatoes if it is boiled, steamed or baked while ripe fruits are sweeter and creamier and make good desserts either raw or cooked into pies.

The immature, under-ripe fruits have a starchy texture and are often eaten after being baked or roasted. Their cooked fragrance is reminiscent of fresh baked bread.

Breadfruit was first domesticated in the western Pacific and spread throughout the Oceania region as settlers moved between Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia. For over 3,000 years it has been an important staple crop and component of traditional agroforestry practices in this region where the trees are layered with other crops such as black pepper, coffee, bananas and yams. It is believed to have been brought to Hawaii from the Samoan islands in the 12^th Century A.D.

Hawaii’s National Tropical Botanical Garden (NTBG) has been studying the plant since the 1980s. Hundreds of cultivated varieties of breadfruit from over 30 countries have been examined at the NTBG Breadfruit Institute on Maui and include DNA fingerprints of a plant called the breadnut that grows in New Guinea, which is thought to be the ancestor of the breadfruit.

The British and French introduced a few seedless varieties from Polynesia to the Caribbean in the late 1700s. These Polynesian varieties then spread throughout Central and South America, Africa, India, Southeast Asia, Madagascar, the Maldives, the Seychelles, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, northern Australia, and south Florida. Breadfruit is now grown in close to 90 countries.

The most notable breadfruit enthusiast was British Admiral William Bligh, who, inadvertently, made breadfruit famous through the celebrated Mutiny on the Bounty. While in the South Pacific in 1789, gathering breadfruit saplings to bring to the West Indies, his crew mutinied, expelled Bligh and 18 other men to a 20’ launch with a week’s worth of food, and set sail for Tahiti leaving the men to find their way to land and safety. After reutrning to England, Bligh set sail again in 1791 for the South Pacific breadfruit-laden islands on the HMS Providence and was finally successful in bring the trees to the West Indies.

At first, Caribbean islanders were reluctant to accept this strange new food and it took many years before they embraced it. Breadfruit then played a crucial role on some islands in providing a fast growing, easy to care for, staple crop for islanders. With increased imports of wheat flour and rice, however, breadfruit has declined in popularity. Scientists at the NTBG Breadfruit Institute are working with Caribbean islands to reignite interest in breadfruit and aid in food security by growing varieties that yield more fruit sooner and are best adapted to specific environmental conditions, such as having salt-tolerance to accommodate sea level rise.

Breadfruit fruits are usually round and typically cooked and eaten as a starchy staple, similar to or even replacing taro, cassava, plantain, or white rice. Immature fruit is eaten as a vegetable while ripe fruit is sweeter and can be eaten raw or cooked. Fruit contain zero to many seeds depending upon the variety. The seeds are edible and can be boiled, roasted, or ground into meal. They resemble chestnuts in flavor and texture and are a source of protein and minerals. Breadfruit is high in carbohydrates with low levels of protein and fat and a moderate glycemic index. It is a good source of dietary fiber, potassium, calcium, and magnesium.

One breadfruit, which weighs around seven lbs. (3kg), provides the carbohydrate portion of a meal for a family of five. The trees mature to flowering and fruiting within 3 to 5 years and produce fruit year-round in tropical climates. In fact, a mature tree can produce up to a half ton of fruit per year!

If you can find breadfruit flour, you can try this recipe at home (from the Trees That Feed Website):

BREADFRUIT PANCAKES

3 servings

1/3 cup breadfruit flour

1/3 cup orange juice

1 egg

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

Shakes of nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla

Mix well and let sit for a few minutes.

Grease a large skillet, heat.

Scoop small portions of the mix into the skillet to make silver dollar sized pancakes.

When brown, flip once. (This will only take a few minutes.)

Serve warm with syrup.

Sounds good to me!

Breadfruit can be more easily stored as products such as flour, cereals, chips and biscuits, pastas, cookies and cakes. Fermentation fans, read on! Certain preparations in the Pacific region rely on a fermented breadfruit paste which preserves excess breadfruit in times of abundance and increases its storage potential. This method also provides food when times are lean or in the event of a hurricane. The breadfruit is washed (sometimes soaked for hours in sea water), peeled, sliced and placed in below-ground stone pits layered with ti leaves (Cordyline sp.) and a few previously fermented pieces to initiate the process. Once the pit is full, it is topped with more leaves, stones and finally covered in earth, leaving the breadfruit to sit and ferment for months or even years. Eventually, the paste that is formed is commonly baked or steamed in banana leaves and eaten. A cleaner and more efficient method involves using plastic tubs to ferment the fruit.

Breadfruit wood is traditionally used to carve canoes and boats and in construction of houses as it is naturally resistant to termites and marine worms. The trees also provide construction materials, glue, insect repellent, animal feed, and tapa cloth. Medicinally, different parts of the breadfruit tree are used to treat various ailments from sprains and respiratory conditions to kidney problems and postpartum “discomfort”. The insect-repelling properties have been verified by USDA studies and found to be significantly better than DEET. Scientists in North America collected smoke extracts from the plants by following the traditional method used by Pacific Islanders.

Breadfruit is a very important component of Hawaiian culture and is called ’ulu. The origin of such an invaluable plant in Hawaii is attributed to the war-god Kūka'ilimoku, or Kū for short. During a time of famine, he buried himself in the ground to emerge as a healthy breadfruit tree, full of fruit. He rallied his mortal wife to eat the fruit in order to feed their children, thus saving them from starvation. There is a saying in Hawaii: "Look for the oozing breadfruit", so do what Kū’s wife did and marry someone who always makes sure you are well-fed! Traditionally, a breadfruit tree is planted when a child is born to ensure food throughout the child’s life.

The immortal ‘ulu and the strength of the Hawaiian people are celebrated in Hawaiian quilt-making, where its dramatic outline is used to make timeless works of art. ‘Ulu is a symbol of abundance and Hawaiian quilt lore says that those who make ‘ulu their first quilt will have an abundant life filled with wisdom and knowledge.