Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis) is a species offlowering tree in themulberry andjackfruit family (Moraceae)[2][3] believed to be adomesticated descendant ofArtocarpus camansi originating inNew Guinea, theMaluku Islands, and thePhilippines. It was initially spread toOceania via theAustronesian expansion. It was further spread to other tropical regions of the world during theColonial Era.[4][5] British and French navigators introduced a few Polynesian seedless varieties to Caribbean islands during the late 18th century. Today it is grown in 90 countries throughout South and Southeast Asia, the Pacific Ocean, the Caribbean, Central America and Africa.[6] Its name is derived from the texture of the moderately ripe fruit when cooked, similar to freshly baked bread and having a potato-like flavor.[6][7]
The trees have been widely planted in tropical regions, including lowlandCentral America, northernSouth America, and theCaribbean.[5][6] In addition to the fruit serving as astaple food in many cultures, the light, sturdytimber of breadfruit has been used foroutriggers, ships, and houses in the tropics.
Breadfruit trees grow to a height of 26 metres (85 feet).[5] The large and thickleaves are deeply cut intopinnate lobes. All parts of the tree yieldlatex,[5] which is useful for boatcaulking.[7]
The trees aremonoecious, with male and female flowers growing on the same tree. The maleflowers emerge first, followed shortly afterward by the female flowers. The latter grow intocapitula, which are capable ofpollination just three days later. Pollination occurs mainly byfruit bats, but cultivated varieties produce fruit without pollination.[7] The compound, false fruit develops from the swollenperianth, and originates from 1,500 to 2,000 flowers visible on the skin of the fruit as hexagon-like disks.[citation needed]
Breadfruit is one of the highest-yielding food plants, with a single tree producing up to 200 or more grapefruit-sized fruits per season, requiring limited care. In theSouth Pacific, the trees yield 50 to 150 fruits per year, usually round, oval or oblong weighing 0.25 to 6 kilograms (0.55 to 13 lb).[6] Productivity varies between wet and dry areas. Studies inBarbados indicate a reasonable potential of 15 to 30 tonnes per hectare (6.7 to 13.4 short ton/acre).[5] The ovoid fruit has a rough surface, and each fruit is divided into manyachenes, each achene surrounded by a fleshyperianth and growing on a fleshyreceptacle. Most selectively bredcultivars haveseedless fruit, whereas seeded varieties are grown mainly for their edible seeds.[7] Breadfruit is usually propagated usingroot cuttings.[6]
Breadfruit is closely related to thebreadnut.[6] It is similar in appearance to its relative of the samegenus, thejackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus).[citation needed] The closely relatedArtocarpus camansi can be distinguished fromA. altilis by having spinier fruits with numerous seeds.Artocarpus mariannensis can be distinguished by having dark green elongated fruits with darker yellow flesh, as well as entire or shallowly lobed leaves.[8]
Breadfruit ispropagated mainly by seeds, thoughseedless breadfruit can be propagated by transplantingsuckers that grow off the surface roots of the tree.[5] The roots can be purposefully injured to induce the growth of suckers, which are then separated from the root and planted in a pot or directly transplanted into the ground.[5] Pruning also induces sucker growth.[5] Sucker cuttings are placed in plastic bags containing a mixture of soil,peat and sand, and kept in the shade while moistened with liquidfertilizer. When roots are developed, the transplant is put in full sun until time for planting in the orchard.[5]
For large-scale propagation, root cuttings are preferred, using segments about 10 centimetres (2 in) thick and 20 centimetres (9 in) long.[5] Rooting may take up to 5 months to develop, with the young trees ready for planting when they are 60 centimetres (2 ft) high.[5]
The termbreadfruit was first used in the17th century to describe the bread-like texture of the fruit when baked.[6][9] Breadfruit has hundreds ofvarieties and numerous common names varying by its geographic distribution.[5][6]
A. camansi was domesticated andselectively bred in Polynesia, giving rise to the mostly seedlessArtocarpus altilis. Micronesian breadfruit also show evidence ofhybridization with the nativeArtocarpus mariannensis, while most Polynesian and Melanesian cultivars do not. This indicates that Micronesia was initially colonized separately from Polynesia and Melanesia through two different migration events which later came into contact with each other in eastern Micronesia.[4][10][8][11][6][7]
Breadfruit is an equatorial lowland species. It has been spread from its Pacific source to many tropical regions.[4][5]
In 1769,Joseph Banks was stationed inTahiti as part of theEndeavour expedition commanded byCaptain James Cook.[7][12] The late-18th-century quest for cheap, high-energy food sources forslaves in British colonies prompted colonial administrators and plantation owners to call for breadfruit to be brought to theCaribbean. As president of theRoyal Society, Banks provided a cash bounty and gold medal for success in this endeavor, and successfully lobbied for a British Naval expedition. After an unsuccessful voyage to the South Pacific to collect the plants as commander ofHMS Bounty, in 1791,William Bligh commanded a second expedition withProvidence andAssistant, which collectedseedless breadfruit plants in Tahiti and transported these toSt. Helena in the Atlantic andSt. Vincent andJamaica in the West Indies.[6][7]
The plant grows best below elevations of 650 m (2,130 ft), but is found at elevations of 1,550 m (5,090 ft). Preferred soils are neutral toalkaline (pH of 6.1–7.4) and either sand, sandy loam, loam or sandy clayloam. Breadfruit is able to grow incoral sands andsaline soils. The breadfruit is ultra-tropical, requiring a temperature range of 16–38 °C (61–100 °F) and an annual rainfall of 2,000–2,500 millimetres (80–100 inches).[5]
Breadfruit is 71% water, 27%carbohydrates, 1%protein and contains negligiblefat (table). In a reference amount of 100 g (3.5 oz), raw breadfruit supplies 103calories, is a rich source ofvitamin C (32% of theDaily Value, DV), and provides a moderate source ofpotassium (16% DV), with no other nutrients in significant content.
Breadfruit is astaple food in many tropical regions. Most breadfruit varieties produce fruit throughout the year. Both ripe and unripe fruit have culinary uses; unripe breadfruit is cooked before consumption.[15] Before being eaten, the fruit are roasted, baked, fried or boiled. When cooked, the taste of moderately ripe breadfruit is described aspotato-like, or similar to freshly baked bread.
One breadfruit tree can produce 200 kilograms (450 lb) each season.[16] Because breadfruit trees usually produce large crops at certain times of the year, the preservation of harvested fruit is an issue. One traditional preservation technique known throughout Oceania is to bury peeled and washed fruits in a leaf-lined pit where theyferment over several weeks and produce asour, sticky paste.[17] Stored in this way, the product may endure a year or more. Some pits are reported to have produced edible contents more than 20 years after burial.[18] Remnants of pit-like formations with stone scattered around (presumed to line them) are often clues indicating prehistoric settlement to archaeologists studying pre-contact history ofFrench Polynesia.[19]
In addition to being edible raw, breadfruit can be dried and ground into flour and the seeds can be cooked for consumption.[20]
Breadfruit (kolo) slices to be used for cooking inFilipino cuisine
The seedless breadfruit is found inBrunei,Indonesia andMalaysia, where it is calledsukun. It is commonly made intofritters and eaten as snacks. Breadfruit fritters are sold as local street food.
In theHawaiian staple food calledpoi, the traditional ingredient of mashedtaro root can be replaced by, or augmented with, mashed breadfruit (ʻulu inHawaiian). The resulting "breadfruit poi" is calledpoi ʻulu.
InSri Lanka, it is cooked as a curry using coconut milk and spices (which becomes a side dish) or boiled. Boiled breadfruit is a famous main meal. It is often consumed with scraped coconut orcoconut sambol, made of scraped coconut, red chili powder and salt mixed with a dash oflime juice. A traditional sweet snack made of finely sliced, sun-dried breadfruit chips deep-fried in coconut oil and dipped in heated treacle or sugar syrup is known asrata del petti.[22] InIndia,fritters of breadfruit, calledjeev kadge phodi inKonkani orkadachakka varuthath inMalayalam, are a local delicacy in coastalKarnataka andKerala. InSeychelles, it was traditionally eaten as a substitute for rice, as an accompaniment to the mains. It would either be consumed boiled (friyapen bwi) or grilled (friyapen griye), where it would be put whole in the wood fire used for cooking the main meal and then taken out when ready. It is also eaten as a dessert, calledladob friyapen, where it is boiled in coconut milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and a pinch of salt.
InPuerto Rico, breadfruit is calledpanapén orpana, for short, although the namepana is often used to refer tobreadnut, seeds of which have traditionally been boiled, peeled and eaten whole. In some inland regions it is also calledmapén and used to makepasteles andalcapurrias. Breadfruit is often served boiled with a mixture of sauteedbacalao (salted cod fish), olive oil and onions. Mostly astostones where about 1 inch chunks are fried, lighty flattened and fried again.Mofongo de panapén fried breadfruit mashed with olive oil, garlic, broth, andchicharrón.Rellenos de panapén the breadfruit version ofpapa rellena. Dipping sauce made from boiled ripe breadfruit similar tochutney using spices, sesame seeds, herbs, lentil, coconut milk, and fruit. Both ripe and unripe are boiled together and mashed with milk and butter to makepastelón de panapén, a dish similar tolasagna. Ripe breadfruit is used in desserts:flan de pana (breadfruit custard).Cazuela, a crustless pie with ripe breadfruit, spices, raisins, coconut milk, and sweet potatoes. Breadfruit flour is sold all over Puerto Rico and used for making bread, pastries, cookies, pancakes, waffles, crepes, andalmojábana.
In theDominican Republic, it is calledbuen pan or "good bread". Breadfruit is not popular in Dominican cookery and is used mainly for feeding pigs.
InBarbados, breadfruit is boiled with salted meat and mashed with butter to make breadfruit coucou. It is usually eaten with saucy meat dishes.
InHaiti, steamed breadfruit is mashed to make a dish calledtonmtonm which is eaten with a sauce made with okra and other ingredients, such as fish and crab.
InTrinidad and Tobago, breadfruit is boiled, then fried and eaten with saucy meat dishes like curried duck.
InJamaica, breadfruit is boiled in soups or roasted on stove top, in the oven or on wood coal. It is eaten with the national dishackee and salt fish. The ripe fruit is used in salads or fried as a side dish.
InSt. Vincent and the Grenadines it is eaten boiled in soups, roasted and fried. When roasted and served with fried jackfish, it is the country's national dish. The ripe fruit is used as a base to make drinks, cakes and ice cream.
Breadfruit containsphytochemicals having potential as aninsect repellent.[24][25] The parts of the fruits that are discarded can be used to feed livestock. The leaves of breadfruit trees can also be browsed by cattle.[26]
Breadfruit however, exudes latex upon harvesting, causing the plant sap to adhere to the surface leading to the staining of the epicarp. Proper methods of breadfruit harvesting usually include the process of draining the latex and disposing of it.[27] Sticky white sap or latex is present in all parts of the breadfruit tree and has been used for glue, caulk, and even chewing gum.[28]Native Hawaiians used its stickylatex totrapbirds, whosefeathers were made intocloaks.[5]
OnPuluwat in theCaroline Islands, in the context of sacredyitang lore, breadfruit (poi) is a figure of speech for knowledge. This lore is organized into five categories: war, magic, meetings, navigation, andbreadfruit.[29]
According to anetiologicalHawaiian myth, the breadfruit originated from the sacrifice of the war godKū. After deciding to live secretly among mortals as a farmer, Kū married and had children. He and his family lived happily until a famine seized their island. When he could no longer bear to watch his children suffer, Kū told his wife that he could deliver them from starvation, but to do so he would have to leave them. Reluctantly she agreed, and at her word, Kū descended into the ground right where he had stood until only the top of his head was visible. His family waited around the spot he had last been, day and night, watering it with their tears until suddenly, a small green shoot appeared where Kū had stood. Quickly, the shoot grew into a tall and leafy tree that was laden with heavy breadfruits that Kū's family and neighbors gratefully ate, joyfully saved from starvation.[30]
Many breadfruithybrids andcultivars are widely distributed throughout the Pacific though they are seedless or otherwise biologically incapable of naturally dispersing long distances. It is therefore clear that humans aided distribution of the plant in the Pacific, specifically prehistoric groups who colonized the Pacific Islands. To investigate the patterns of human migration throughout the Pacific, scientists have used molecular dating of breadfruit hybrids and cultivars in concert with anthropological data. Results support the west-to-east migration hypothesis, in which theLapita people are thought to have traveled fromMelanesia to numerousPolynesian islands.[10]
The world's largest collection of breadfruit varieties was established by botanist Diane Ragone, from over 20 years' travel to 50 Pacific islands, on a 4-hectare (10-acre) plot outside ofHana, on the isolated east coast ofMaui (Hawaii).[31]
^abcdefghijklmnoMorton, Julia F (1987)."Breadfruit".Fruits of Warm Climates. West Lafayette, Indiana: NewCROP, Center for New Crops and Plant Products, Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Purdue University. pp. 50–58. Archived fromthe original on 5 January 2015. Retrieved17 January 2017.
^abcdefg"Artocarpus altilis (breadfruit)".kew.org. Kew Gardens, Richmond, Surrey, UK: Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens. 2017. Retrieved17 January 2017.
^"Breadfruit". Oxford English Dictionary. 2023. Retrieved18 November 2023.
^abcZerega, N. J. C.; Ragone, D. & Motley, T.J. (2004). "The complex origins of breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis, Moraceae): Implications for human migrations in Oceania".American Journal of Botany.91 (5):760–766.doi:10.3732/ajb.91.5.760.PMID21653430.
^Kahn, Jennifer G.; Ragone, Diane (November 2013). "Identification of Carbonized Breadfruit ( Artocarpus altilis ) Skin: Refining Site Function and Site Specialization in the Society Islands, East Polynesia".Journal of Ethnobiology.33 (2):242–3.doi:10.2993/0278-0771-33.2.237.
^A. Maxwell P. Jones; Jerome A. Klun; Charles L. Cantrell; Diane Ragone; Kamlesh R. Chauhan; Paula N. Brown & Susan J. Murch (2012). "Isolation and Identification of Mosquito (Aedes aegypti) Biting Deterrent Fatty Acids from Male Inflorescences of Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis (Parkinson) Fosberg)".Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.60 (15):3867–3873.Bibcode:2012JAFC...60.3867J.doi:10.1021/jf300101w.PMID22420541.
^Riesenberg, Saul H.; Elbert, Samuel H. (1971)."The Poi of the Meeting". Journal of the Polynesian Society, Auckland University.Breadfruit is used here as a figure of speech for knowledge. And the breadfruit of knowledge is contained in all five bowls, even though the names of only three of them include the word for pounded breadfruit, and even though only the last contains knowledge about breadfruit in that word's literal meaning.
^Shannon Wianecki (May–June 2013)."Breadfruit". Maui Nō Ka ʻOi Magazine, Haynes Publishing Group. Retrieved17 January 2017.
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