“Breadfruit. It is breadfruit !!”, was my reaction.
Around a month back, an old childhood friend messaged me stating that there was a plant growing in her backyard and she wanted me to see it. Time flew by and I forgot about it. Suddenly one afternoon last week she again messaged me stating about it so I went to meet her.
The moment I saw it I couldn’t resist smiling.
Origin and Food History
Breadfruit looks like the younger, cuter sibling of the jackfruit. Less spiky but equally delicious.
It grows on trees that bear only 20-50 fruits, but they have some beautiful, dramatic leaves that deserve their spotlight.
The fruits these trees bear are cylindrical or globular in shape. Each nirphanas has a green or yellowish-green, almost smooth peel, and when you slice it open, it looks like a raw jackfruit. In terms of taste, it has its distinct flavour. Nothing too strong, more on the blander side, and the taste varies depending on the stage of development.
This fruit has a wonderful food history and an interesting food tale attached to it.
Europeans first discovered it in 1769. King George III, sent Lieutenant Bligh on a breadfruit-gathering expedition ( how thrilling? right?)
After picking up the fruit-bearing trees and setting ashore, a full-blown mutiny took place. Yet Bligh survived and was made into a hero and promoted to Captain. He again returned to the breadfruit voyage in 1791 and completed it.
Sadly, breadfruit did not receive the warm welcome that it deserved because of its bland taste.
Today, though, these plants grow in a lot of places like Southeast Asia, Mexico, Parts of Africa, etc and are slowly getting the attention they deserve.
Scientific Name
Artocarpus altilis ( It belongs to the Moraceae i.e. the mulberry/fig family)
Other names of Breadfruit
- Nirphanas (Marathi and Kokani),
- Bakri Chajhar/ Safed Kathal (Hindi)
- Kadachakka (Malayalam and Tamil)
- Nimbalu (Solomon Islands)
- Rimas (Philippines)
- Ulu (Hawaii)
Purchasing and storing
Breadfruit can be consumed at various stages of development, but the firm, mature fruit is used for cooking.
Sadly, it is not a regular in the local markets. But it does occasionally make its seasonal appearance during June to July, sometimes even till September, and when it does, it is priced high.
If you are lucky and manage to get one, the best thing is to use it as soon as you get it. If you cant, leave it on the counter and use it in 2-3 days max.
Note: While you can store it in the fridge and it can stay there for days, but that does lead to textural as well as nutritional damage and hence is best avoided.
How to clean it?
- Wash the surface clean.
- Scoop out the stem.
- Slit it into half either vertically or horizontally.
- Peel the skin with a knife.
- Cube/slice/dice it as per requirement.
Nutrition facts
It is also a good source of complex carbohydrates and dietary fibre. It has a low glycemic index, making it diabetes and gut-friendly.
It is also a good source of high-quality complete protein, specifically in essential amino acids.
It also contains fibre and nutrients like vitamin C, B3, calcium, potassium, copper, magnesium, etc and antioxidants like carotenoids
As per one of the research papers, it is one of the 25 superfoods that can help reduce the risk of developing diabetes, hypertension and obesity.
Culinary Uses
Breadfruit is used in various ways, from chunks to flour to pulp and even fermented products.
In India, breadfruit is used to make regular gravies, fry it like pakodas, or even make rice-based dishes. It is sautéed, steamed, boiled, shallow-fried or deep-fried, or baked.
The slightly ripe ones are my personal favourite for making fritters.
And if you’ve learnt something from the blog, do check out the other blogs on kantola, kante kanagi, sprouts or Navdhari bhindi
