General Information
Breadfruit is a large football-sized fruit, weighing as much as 12 pounds and averaging 10 to 30 centimeters in diameter. It has prickly, yellow-green skin and a round to oblong shape, although their appearance can vary depending on the variety and growing conditions. Some varieties are seedless, while others can be extremely seedy. When immature, the fruit is hard, the skin is green, and the white flesh is starchy and slightly fibrous. As the fruit ripens, it becomes softer, the skin turns yellow to yellow-brown, and the flesh becomes pale yellow in color and creamy in texture with a sweet aroma. Cooked Breadfruit has a mild potato-like flavor, and as its name implies, the scent is reminiscent of freshly baked bread. Breadfruit trees can grow more than 80 feet tall, and they are one of the highest yielding food plants, as a single tree can produce up to 450 pounds of fruit every year.
History
Breadfruit is native to the South Pacific, from New Guinea through the Malay Archipelago. It spread through the rest of the Pacific in the hands of seafaring islanders who settled the numerous islands of Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia, where Breadfruit has been cultivated for over 3,000 years. Breadfruit was introduced to the Western world by British explorers in the late 1700s. Today, breadfruit is grown across the globe, from the South Pacific islands through Southeast Asia, the Caribbean, Central America, and Africa.
