Breadfruit

BREADFRUIT Artocarpus altilis

Other names: Breadnut (seeded selection)

Intro: Introduced into Far North Queensland by Samoan missionaries from the Pacific Islands, where it forms partof the staple diet. The fruit is famous for its role in the mutiny of the “Bounty” where Captain Bligh was commissioned to transport
the fruit from Tahiti to the West Indies.

History: Native to the Pacific and EastIndies.

Shape: Round to egg-shaped fruit.

Weight/size: Weighs up to 4kg and about 20cm in diameter

Colour: Breadfruit has a thick, warty, greenish skin and white starchy flesh with a bread-like texture.

Taste: Sweet when eaten ripe.

Buying/storage: Choose breadfruit which are free from blemishes. It can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week, but the skin will darken

Preparing/serving: Breadfruit is normally eaten as a vegetable. It can be peeled and boiled, roasted or fried like potatoes, baked whole in the oven or barbecued. Wipe utensils with cooking oil to prevent the latex from sticking. Latex can also be removed
with eucalyptus oil. Breadfruit seeds are used in a similar way to jakfruit seeds. If breadfruit is allowed to ripen, the flesh becomes light yellow, very soft and very sweet. Ripe breadfruit is also used for dessert dishes.

Stage of ripeness is critical to any recipe using breadfruit.

Variety: Noli, Cannonball.

“Breadfruit can be boiled, roasted or fried like potato”