Breadfruit Recipes

Breadfruit is used more like a vegetable than a fruit. However, it doesnt matter what
you or I may call it because when it is ripe it does have a sweet taste.
So at different stages of its development you
may use this delicious tree vegetable/fruit for
one purpose or another, and choose to call what you willvegetable before its ripe
and fruit when ripened. !e have a little name for it thoughBresheh, "ah #on$
%s the historygoes, it was brought to &amaica from 'ahiti by (aptain !illiam Bligh
on his second voyage to the South )acific in *+,-. His main reason for introducing
breadfruit to &amaica was to feed the slaves.
But the slaves did not like the taste, so the fruit/vegetable .ust stayed there and
grew uncontrolled and meaningless for awhile/ it was mainly fed to hogs. !ell the
years went by and people became interested in this fruit/vegetable, and the ball
started to roll, so to speak.
0verybody in &amaica loves this vegetable/ we use it in many different ways to make
breakfast, dinner, and snacks. !e also add it to soups and, of course, make chips. It
can be boiled, steamed, roasted, fried or made into punch.
1ike its name, it tastes like doughy bread. 2h yes, its bite is 3uite similar to some
breads I have eaten, but it has more moisture, even when roasted. Some people use
the leaves as a remedy for headaches, too.
0ven though some people think that it4s .ust a green vegetable that you can .ust
roast or boil any old way, they are sometimes surprised at the results after cooking.
"ou see, the one you use to make soup is not the same one you use for roasting.
#y aunt Brownie taught me a valuable lesson when I was about *5 years old. 'o
make a long story short, she asked me to go to the market to get some scallions,
thyme, and a breadfruit to make soup. I returned with all that she had asked me to
buy, only to find out that I had bought a roasting breadfruit instead of a soup
breadfruit.
She was 3uite furious with me and later on e6plained the difference between the two
types of breshehs that are used in cooking and roasting. So I will tell you what the
difference is between the different types of "breshehs", as told by %unt Brownie.
!hen you go to the market to buy your breadfruit to make soup, buy the breadfruit
that is light green. 'ry to get one that is young or borderline young with no brown
spots on it.
7ub your hand over the skin and slightly s3uee8e the vegetable to make sure there is
no hidden damage like scrapes and cuts. 'his will ensure your using a 3uality
bresheh. (ool9
'he ones that are dark green and :fit,: are good for roasting. If the breadfruit has
brown spots it is becoming ripe, you can also roast it but it will be a little sweet and
soft when it is finished.
%lthough roasting is one of the most popular ways to en.oy this vegetable, other
methods have been used to bring out the flavor and versatility of bresheh. %nd,
breshehs can be eaten with any meat or "salting" which you can provide, even
coconut oil.
1ets prepare your bresheh in the following ways;
Roasting
* medium breadfruit
%n open flame
(ut the stem from the bresheh and discard it. <se a sharp knife and make two
incisions crossing each other to make an 6 in the top of the vegetable. 'hese
incisions will allow the vegetable to breathe as it is roasted.
)lace the bresheh on the stove with the bottom facing the flame and turn the flame
to medium. 7oast the vegetable on the bottom for -= minutes. >ow, using a kitchen
cloth hold the vegetable, and turn it upside down onto the flame and let it roast for
another -= minutes.
&ust to make sure the vegetable is thoroughly roasted, turn it onto the side for
another ten minutes, rotating it slowly as it roasts.
7emove the bresheh from the stove, and slice it in halves at the incisions made
earlier. If its not completely roasted, its no problem. )ut the halves back onto the
fire and roast for another five minutes.
'urn off the stove and remove the vegetable. %llow it to cool for about an hour. >ow,
carefully peel the blackened roasted skin with sharp knife. 'hen remove the center
piece or the heart as it is sometimes called. (ut *?inch slices along the length of the
vegetable and arrange them with your favorite meat or meat?kind.
Chips
Slices
@ tsp. Salt
A cups !ater
* cup (ooking oil
#ake a salt and water solution to taste then soak the slices in the solution. Heat the
oil in the iron skillet or frying pan. <se a paper towel to remove the e6cess water
from the slices and then place them into the hot oilfry until golden brown.
Be careful that all the water is removed from the slices before you place them into
the frying pan.
"ou can also use coconut milk instead of water to make your soaking solution. It
gives the chips that coconut flavor.
Boiled
* medium breadfruit
(ut off the stem and cut the vegetable into 3uarters. 7emove the heart with a sharp
knife and then peel the skin. %dd the bresheh to boiling water with salt and other
vegetables like yams, bananas, pumpkins, and potatoes. Boil for an hour and then
serve as an accompaniment with other vegetables, meat or fish.
Porridge
@ medium fit Breadfruit
B tsp. Salt
A pints !ater
A o8. Sweetened (ondensed #ilk
- o8. 0vaporated #ilk.
* pinch ground >utmeg
B tsp. Canilla Dlavoring
@ o8. Dlour
)ut water on stove and turn fire on high. In the meantime remove the skin and heart
from the bresheh. (ut the vegetable into small pieces. %dd pieces to an electric
blender with a little water and puree.
%dd pureed ingredients to boiling water and then add salt. %llow the vegetable to
boil, occasionally stirring the pot. 'o thicken the porridge, add the flour to one cup of
cold water and mi6 into a li3uid paste. !hen the breadfruit is cooked, add other
ingredients and sweeten to taste.
"ou may also omit the flour and thicken the porridge by evaporation/ cook until it
thickens naturally.
Serve in small soup bowls with ground nutmeg.
Punch
* #edium half?ripened Breadfruit Ebrown spottedF
* cup sweetened condensed #ilk
B cup 0vaporated #ilk
* tbsp. Sugar
B tsp. Ground >utmeg
A tbsp. &amaican !hite 7um EoptionalF
A tbsp. 7ed 1abel &amaican !ine
(ut the fruit into 3uarters and remove the heart and seeds. 7emove the skin with a
sharp knife. Boil the pieces in water on medium fire until they are soft. )our some of
the water from the pot into an electric blender with pieces of fruit and then blend
until smooth.
%dd all the other ingredients to the mi6ture when finished and stir with a wooden
spoon. 'he thickness of the punch is dependent upon the amount of water you use.
%dd ice cubes to the punch and set in the refrigerator for about two hours.
"ah #on$$$