Breadfruit (Artocarpus  sp.) has an interesting history in the Caribbean as it was introduced into the area during the 18th century as a staple for the slaves in the British colonies.  The breadfruit was originally from Tahiti. Nowadays, this past is long forgotten and breadfruit is enjoyed for what it is.  A very yummy carbohydrate which when boiled, tastes just like potato.  Interestingly enough, I have never seen this carbohydrate served in restaurants here as it is still seen as a “poor man’s food.”

Breadfruit trees bear prolifically and a single seasonal harvest can give hundreds of fruit.

We have young trees on the farm right now and they will soon start to bear in the coming years.

These fruit contain approximately 25% carbohydrate and 70% water.  They are extremely versatile because they can be eaten green or ripe.  The most popular way of eating them green, at least here in Belize, is deep-frying them oil.  Other ways are boiling, pan-frying, baking and steaming.  When the fruits mature, they turn soft and sweet.  At this point, they can be made into various types of puddings.  I have a friend (Filipino) who flattens the ripe fruit into a pizza shape and bakes it in the oven to make a sweet flat bread.

With this fruit, the need for preservation is very important since there is simply so much of it.  I recently acquired four of these fruits and even with this quantity, I found it hard to think of ways to prepare and store.  Once picked, they will mature in about 4 to 7 days.

Method 1 Preservation method: blanching and freezing.

This is a reasonable method but there is only so much space in the freezer!!  You can imagine how stuffed my freezer is with so many other things.

Method 2 Preservation method: Sun Drying.

This is a better alternative especially when the breadfruit is 70% water and so you can cut the pieces to dry in relatively large chunks.  They can then be stored in air-tight containers therefore taking up less space.  Still,  I will need to procure a 55 gallon container to store all of the dried product should my trees start bearing by the hundreds.  That is what I call food security!!  I will be experimenting with this method over the next few days; it is really, really hot and dry right now so they should dry really well.  I will keep you updated on my Munchkin experimentation!!

There is also another method of preservation which involves digging a hole in the ground and storing the ripe breadfruits under-ground thereby allowing natural fermentation.  I am not sure if that would work here because the water table is so high in Belize.

Breadfruit tastes very much like potato, more so than other tropical carbohydrates like cassava or taro.  Because of this, it can be used as an alternative for any traditional recipes calling for potato.  Watch this space for my breadfruit recipes!!