Breadfruit

Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis) is a type of flowering tree that belongs to the mulberry and jackfruit family (Moraceae). People think it was carefully selectively bred in Polynesia from a plant called the breadnut (Artocarpus camansi). Over time, it spread to many parts of the world.

The fruit of the breadfruit tree is special because when it is cooked, it feels like freshly baked bread and tastes a bit like potatoes. People grow breadfruit in about 90 countries, including places in South and Southeast Asia, the Pacific islands, the Caribbean, Central America, and Africa.

Breadfruit trees are often planted in warm areas because they can grow well there. Besides eating the fruit, people also use the strong, light wood from these trees to make furniture, houses, and even surfboards in tropical places. Breadfruit is related to several other fruits, like the breadnut from New Guinea, the Maluku Islands, and the Philippines, as well as the jackfruit.

Description

Breadfruit trees can grow up to 26 meters (85 feet) tall. Their large leaves are split into sections. All parts of the tree make a special white liquid that can fill gaps in boats.

The trees have both male and female flowers on the same plant. The male flowers come first, then the female flowers. The female flowers grow into clusters that can be pollinated by fruit bats just three days later. Some types of breadfruit grow fruit without needing pollination. The fruit looks like a big ball and comes from many small flowers that you can see as little shapes on the skin of the fruit.

Breadfruit is a very productive food plant. One tree can make up to 200 fruits each season with little care. In places like the South Pacific, trees usually make 50 to 150 fruits each year. These fruits can be round, oval, or long, and weigh between 0.25 and 6 kilograms (0.55 to 13 pounds). Most common types of breadfruit have fruit without seeds, but some types are grown for their edible seeds. Breadfruit is often grown from pieces of tree roots.

Breadfruit looks similar to another fruit called jackfruit.

Propagation

Breadfruit is usually grown from seeds, but seedless types can be grown by moving small shoots that grow from the tree’s roots. These shoots can be encouraged to grow by gently hurting the roots, then planting the shoots in a pot or directly in the ground. Cutting the tree also helps these shoots grow. Small shoot cuttings are placed in bags with soil, peat, and sand, kept in the shade, and given liquid fertilizer until they develop roots. Once they have roots, they are moved to sunny spots before being planted in fields.

For growing many trees at once, pieces of tree roots are used. These root pieces should be about 10 centimeters (2 inches) thick and 20 centimeters (9 inches) long. It can take up to 5 months for these roots to develop into new trees, which are ready to be planted when they are about 60 centimeters (2 feet) tall.

Etymology and common names

The name “breadfruit” started in the 1600s because when the fruit is baked, it has a texture like bread. Breadfruit has many different types and many names depending on where it grows in the world.

Taxonomy

See also: Artocarpus camansi and Domesticated plants and animals of Austronesia

Breadfruit comes from a wild plant called the breadnut. It grows in places like New Guinea, the Maluku Islands, and the Philippines. People in Polynesia changed the breadnut over time to make breadfruit, which usually has no seeds. In some areas, breadfruit mixed with another local plant.

Long ago, around 3,000 years ago, people carried breadfruit by canoe to many islands in the Pacific Ocean, including Micronesia, Melanesia, and Polynesia. The plant did not grow there naturally before.

Distribution and habitat

Breadfruit grows in warm, tropical places and comes from the Pacific islands. It has been taken to many other tropical areas around the world.

In 1769, a scientist named Joseph Banks was in Tahiti with a group led by Captain James Cook. They wanted to bring breadfruit to the Caribbean to provide food for people in British colonies. Later, a sailor named William Bligh took breadfruit plants from Tahiti to places like St. Helena, St. Vincent, and Jamaica.

Breadfruit grows best in warm temperatures between 16–38 °C (61–100 °F) and needs a lot of rain each year. It can grow in different kinds of soil, even in sandy or salty ground.

Nutrition

Breadfruit is mostly water, with some carbohydrates and a little protein. It has very little fat. If you eat 100 grams (about 3.5 ounces) of raw breadfruit, it gives you 103 calories. It is rich in vitamin C, giving you 32% of what you need each day. It also has a good amount of potassium, giving you 16% of what you need each day. It does not have much of any other nutrients.

Uses

Breadfruit is a staple food in many tropical regions. Most breadfruit varieties grow fruit all year. Both ripe and unripe fruit can be eaten; unripe breadfruit is cooked first. Before eating, the fruit is roasted, baked, fried, or boiled. When cooked, the taste of ripe breadfruit is like potatoes or fresh bread.

One breadfruit tree can make 200 kilograms (450 lb) each season. Because breadfruit trees often have big harvests at certain times, keeping the fruit fresh is important. In Oceania, one way to keep breadfruit is to bury peeled and washed fruits in a pit lined with leaves. There, they ferment and become a sour, sticky paste. Stored like this, the breadfruit can last more than a year. Some pits have been found with edible breadfruit more than 20 years old. Pits with stones around them are clues that help archaeologists find old French Polynesia settlements.

Breadfruit can also be eaten raw, dried and ground into flour, or the seeds can be cooked to eat.

Food

The seedless breadfruit is found in Brunei, Indonesia, and Malaysia, where it is called sukun. It is often made into fritters and sold as snacks. Breadfruit fritters are a common street food.

In the Philippines, breadfruit is called rimas in Tagalog and kolo in the Visayan languages. It is also called kamansi (or camansi), along with the related Artocarpus camansi, and the endemic Artocarpus blancoi (tipolo or antipolo). These fruits, and the jackfruit, are often used in savory dishes. Young fruits are commonly cooked with coconut milk in a dish called ginataang rimas.

In Hawaii, breadfruit can be used instead of or with taro root in poi. This is called "breadfruit poi" or poi ʻulu.

Timber and other uses

Breadfruit was used in many ways by Pacific Islanders. Its wood is light (specific gravity) and does not attract termites or shipworms, so it is good for building structures and outrigger canoes. The wood pulp can be made into paper, called breadfruit tapa. The wood was important for building traditional houses in Samoan architecture.

Breadfruit has phytochemicals that might work as an insect repellent. Parts of the fruit that are not eaten can be given to livestock. The leaves of breadfruit trees can also be eaten by cattle.

Breadfruit produces sticky sap when harvested, which can stain surfaces. Proper harvesting methods include draining this sap. The sticky sap has been used for glue, caulk, and chewing gum. Native Hawaiians used its sticky latex to trap birds for their feathers, which were used to make cloaks.

In culture

On Puluwat in the Caroline Islands, breadfruit, called poi, is a symbol of knowledge in special stories. These stories are about war, magic, meetings, navigation, and breadfruit.

An old story from Hawaii says breadfruit came from the war god Kū. Kū chose to live among people as a farmer and had a family. But a time of little food came, and Kū’s family went hungry. To help them, Kū said he must leave them, and he went down into the ground, leaving only the top of his head showing. His family stayed by the spot, watering it with their tears. From this spot grew a tree heavy with breadfruit, saving his family and others from hunger. Breadfruit is seen as a sign of plenty and help in hard times.

Many types of breadfruit and special kinds of the fruit are found all over the Pacific. Because these plants cannot move far on their own, people helped spread them. Scientists studied these different types to learn about how people moved across the Pacific long ago. The biggest collection of breadfruit types was gathered by botanist Diane Ragone after 20 years of travel to 50 Pacific islands. She planted them on a large area of land near Hana on the east coast of Maui in Hawaii.