Breadfruit is a staple fruit in the South Pacific and the Caribbean, with over 200 varieties. It can be eaten green or ripe and is used in a variety of dishes. The fruit is rare on the American mainland and must be stored carefully. It is often boiled or roasted and can be used to make flour or paste.
Breadfruit is a staple fruit in much of the South Pacific, spread by Polynesians across the South Seas during their long sojourns. It can be found in Hawaii, Micronesia, and a variety of other places in between as long as the climate is warm, because breadfruit cannot tolerate cold climates. It is also grown in the Caribbean where it is eaten in a variety of dishes. This fruit is a member of the mulberry family and somewhat resembles mulberry fruits, although breadfruit is much larger.
The breadfruit tree is a stately dark-leaved specimen that can reach heights of 85 feet (26 meters). Fruits appear at the tips of branches in clusters of three or fewer, starting green and maturing to rich chestnut or lavender in some varieties. With over 200 known varieties of breadfruit, there are a huge range of sizes, flavors and colors to choose from. The surface is rough and covered in small four- to six-sided polygonal shapes that sometimes terminate in flexible spines. In shape, the fruit is approximately oblong, depending on the variety.
There are both seedless and seeded cultivars. Seeded varieties can be grown from seed, although the seeds must be used up quickly, as they soon lose their ability to germinate. The seedless variety is grown by propagating poultry plants by roots, which is accomplished by exposing the roots and injuring them. Both varieties produce a high volume of natural latex, which is used as an indicator of maturity.
Breadfruit can be eaten green or ripe. In the green stage, it is treated like a vegetable and requires cooking or processing. In the mature stage, it can be eaten raw.
Stage Green Breadfruit has a starchy, white interior that is firm to the touch. The ripe fruit has creamy to yellow flesh, a slightly mushy texture, and is sweet to the taste. Many tree varieties produce year-round, with fruit in various stages of maturity on the tree at all times. In some cases, there are two or three peak seasons in which there is a higher percentage of ripe fruit.
Breadfruit has been grown by people in the South Pacific for centuries and caught the attention of Western explorers in the 18th century. Europeans were intrigued by the plant, which was clearly a staple of the Polynesian diet and served a large majority of the islanders’ nutritional needs. In an effort to provide a cheap and stable source of food for the slave trade in the West Indies, breadfruit was brought back with some difficulty and grown there as well.
This fruit is rare on the American mainland, and many consumers don’t know what to look for in the fruit or how to store it. If you use ripe breadfruit, you should look for a slightly soft fruit with a uniform color and small latex globules on the surface. Unripe varieties should be firm and uniformly green. Either way, the fruit should be used up quickly. It does not handle refrigeration well and must be stored in a thick bag to prevent cold damage.
The bread is often boiled or roasted. Once baked, it produces a surprisingly similar texture and flavor to traditional wholemeal bread. The unripe fruit can also be used to make a flour or paste, which can be used successfully in baking.
It is often used to make poi, a fermented fruit product that is also often made with taro. The bread is also used to make puddings, candy to create snacks, and fried for chips. It also provides animal fodder in some parts of the world.
Breadfruit is an unusual and underutilized fruit with many interesting properties. Depending on the region, it’s prepared in a dizzying array of methods, many of which are quite tasty. While it’s unlikely to take continental American cuisine by storm in the foreseeable future, fruit on tropical adventures is definitely worth a try.
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