BREADFRUIT (Artocarpus Altilis)
Breadfruit
had always been part and parcel of South Pacific legends. Evolving in
Indonesia’s Sunda Archipelago, it has become a staple diet for islanders
throughout the tropical Pacific islands. The breadfruit originated by chance as
a seedless breadnut, and is perpetuated from root cuttings. The tree grows to a
height of about 20 meters, has dark green leaves with light green ovoid fruits.
Fruit is large, round and has a rough skin. The flesh is white and fibrous and
tastes like yam or freshly baked wheat bread. The fruit is rich in starch and
is eaten boiled, roasted, fried in slices or cooked as a stew or soup. The
fibrous inner bark of the tree is used to make cloth and the lightweight wood which is resistant to termites and shipworms, is used as timber for structures and outrigger canoes. In the South Seas, glue and caulking material are obtained from the sap. Native Hawaiians used its sticky latex to trap birds, whose feathers were made into cloaks. Its wood pulp can also be used to make paper, called breadfruit tapa. It is also used in traditional medicine to treat illnesses that range from sore eyes to sciatica.
To the Polynesians, the breadfruit and banana were vitally important. The threat of cyclones, droughts and the total destruction of crops by enemies were a constant danger to their existence. Total destruction of crops was the second greatest victory over one’s enemies in Polynesian society - the greatest was to obtain the foe’s “mana” by eating him. These pressures led to the development of food preservation technique which were applied to the breadfruit and bananas. Fruits were peeled and wrapped in air-tight parcels using heliconia and then banana leaves. These are then placed in a leaf-lined pit where they ferment over several weeks and produce a sour, sticky paste. So stored, the product may last a year or more, and some pits are reported to have produced edible contents more than 20 years later. Fermented breadfruit mash goes by many names such as mahr, ma, masi, furo, and bwiru, among others.
Do you know… In 1787, the British Government commissioned Captain Bligh of the ship “Bounty” to transport 1000 seedlings of the breadfruit from Tahiti to the British West Indies. In the excitement to transport these seedlings within a short period of time, the overworked sailors committed the famous Mutiny on the Bounty.
To the Polynesians, the breadfruit and banana were vitally important. The threat of cyclones, droughts and the total destruction of crops by enemies were a constant danger to their existence. Total destruction of crops was the second greatest victory over one’s enemies in Polynesian society - the greatest was to obtain the foe’s “mana” by eating him. These pressures led to the development of food preservation technique which were applied to the breadfruit and bananas. Fruits were peeled and wrapped in air-tight parcels using heliconia and then banana leaves. These are then placed in a leaf-lined pit where they ferment over several weeks and produce a sour, sticky paste. So stored, the product may last a year or more, and some pits are reported to have produced edible contents more than 20 years later. Fermented breadfruit mash goes by many names such as mahr, ma, masi, furo, and bwiru, among others.
Do you know… In 1787, the British Government commissioned Captain Bligh of the ship “Bounty” to transport 1000 seedlings of the breadfruit from Tahiti to the British West Indies. In the excitement to transport these seedlings within a short period of time, the overworked sailors committed the famous Mutiny on the Bounty.