It’s hard to believe that the breadfruit was flatly rejected when it was first brought to Jamaica in 1793. The plant was supposed to be a cheap source of food for the large numbers of slaves on the island’s sugar plantations, but they didn’t care much for the bland taste. Two hundred years later, Jamaicans can’t imagine their diet without the versatile breadfruit, and, more and more the rest of the world is quickly becoming woke to the wonders of this tropical superfood.
- Plenty of nutrition! Breadfruit is highly nutritious, with one fruit consisting of 27% carbohydrates, enough to satisfy the carbohydrate needs of a family of five. It also offers a higher concentration of amino acids than soy, and is a rich source of vitamin C, with some amounts of thiamin and potassium. Water, 71%, makes up the rest of the fruit.
- Cook it how you like it! There are many ways to cook breadfruit and it can be prepared in a slightly ripened or unripened state. While roasted breadfruit is probably the most common way it is prepared in Jamaica, breadfruit is often boiled, baked, or fried. Local entrepreneurs have also been exploring ways of diversifying the breadfruit, and you can now find breadfruit flour and breadfruit chips at the supermarket.
- One fruit, two flavours! Breadfruit is very rich in starch, and when unripe, the taste is similar to a regular potato. The slightly ripe fruit however can be compared to sweet potato, the starch transforms to sugars with a sweet, mellow taste.
- It’s a high yielding fruit! Not only does it bear fruit several times a year, a single tree produces more than 200 breadfruits each season. The tree can remain productive for up to 50 years, producing more yield per hectare than wheat and rice.
- A little feeds a lot! All the way from Tahiti, the breadfruit is now a staple food in Jamaica. It grows abundantly all over the island and requires very little care. With each fruit weighing 2-3kgs, the breadfruit can feed many at a very affordable cost.