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The
breadfruit’s voyage to America
An interesting story
attached to the breadfruit is that Captain James Cook had chanced
upon it when in the Pacific Islands. Hoping that it could be ideal
staple food for black slaves in the West Indies, he recommended
the planting of breadfruit there. Captain William Bligh who sailed
under Captain Cook tried twice to bring the breadfruit tree
saplings. His first attempt was unsuccessful. However, in the next
one he succeeded in
bringing back cuttings of the breadfruit tree and planting them
back home. Unfortunately all his efforts went unappreciated, as
the black slaves preferred plantains to breadfruit!
Its
features and culinary uses
The breadfruit grows to the size of a small melon and has a
rough exterior. In contrast, the pulp is white and mealy. It is
seldom eaten raw. The pulp contains a considerable amount of
starch and is used in many ways. The pulp is baked, boiled,
roasted, fried or, as is more often done, dried and ground into
flour. When baked, it becomes very soft textured and has a sweet
taste. The
‘flour’ obtained from breadfruit pulp is used for making
biscuits, cakes, bread, pudding and the like.
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The breadfruit tree |
