There is nothing like roast breadfruit with your Sunday morning breakfast of Ackee and saltfish.
I found this brief history and thought I would share with my readers
The reason for the name “breadfruit” is that when eaten before it is ripe, breadfruit not only feels like fresh bread, but also tastes like it. Not only are breadfruit trees in the Pacific prized for their fruits but their wood is also highly valuable. In Hawaii, the wood of breadfruit trees were made into fine quality canoes, drums, and surfboards. In Guam and Samoa, the bark of the breadfruit trees were used for making tapa cloth.
King George III was convinced of the necessity of transporting breadfruit from the Pacific to the Caribbean and in 1787 Captain Bligh was sent to Tahiti with the mission of delivering the breadfruit trees to the Caribbean. Upon reaching Tahiti the following year, the Bounty’s crew spent six months there collecting and preparing the young breadfuit trees for shipment. Over a thousand such plants were placed on board the Bounty. Unfortunately, when the men were informed that a portion of their fresh drinking water would be used for irrigating the breadfruit plants, they became quite upset and was yet another contributing factor to their mutiny.
Captain Bligh and his loyal crew members were cast adrift following the mutiny on April 28, 1789. Their voyage in a small longboat, where against all odds they traveled over 3600 miles to the island of Timor, was dramatically chronicled in the popular Nordhoff and Hall mutiny book. What many have today have forgotten is that following Bligh’s return to England, he returned to Tahiti in another ship in August, 1791 on the same mission, which was to deliver breadfruit trees to the Caribbean. This second mission was successfully accomplished. Unfortunately, after the breadfruit trees were delivered to the Caribbean, the slaves there, disliking its taste, refused to eat it. Years later the Caribbean descendants of those slaves learned to appreciate the breadfruit and now prepare it in a number of tasty ways.
Today, all over Jamaica one can find if you visit the St. Vincent Botanic Gardens in the Caribbean you will see a very old breadfruit tree. Look at it closely. It is living history
Here is an easy Breadfruit Recipe...enjoy!
INGREDIENTS:
| 250 | grams | stewing beef or pork |
| 1 | medium | fully ripe breadfruit |
| 500 | grams | coco or dasheen |
| 2-3 | Tbsps. | vegetable oil |
| 3 | litres | water |
| 1 | cup | carrots |
| 1 | medium | green ripe papaya |
| 1 | cup | green sweet pepper |
| 1 | cup | tomatoes |
| 1 | bay leaf | |
| 1/4 | tsp. | salt |
| 1/4 | tsp. | black pepper |
| 2 | tsps. | FISH AND MEAT SAUCE |
| 1 | tsp. | HOT PEPPER SAUCE |
| 1 | large | onion |
METHOD / DIRECTIONS:
| 1. | Cut beef or pork in small cubes. Peel and cube breadfruit, coco or dasheen, carrots and green papaya. Chop sweet pepper and onion. |
| 2. | In a skillet, brown beef or pork pieces thoroughly on all sides in the cooking oil, turning often with a slotted spoon or spatula. |
| 3. | Turn meat and its oil into a large heavy pot with cover, add all ingredients except salt, black pepper, Fish and Meat Sauce, and Hot Pepper Sauce. |
| 4. | Bring to a quick boil, reduce heat, cover pot and simmer over low heat until vegetables and meat are tender, stirring occasionally. |
| 5. | Towards end of cooking, seasoning to taste with suggested seasonings. Allow to simmer for 15 minutes. |
| 6. | Serve soup while very hot, either as is, or passing through your electric blender and correct seasoning. |
Source: Caribbean Choice
