Breadfruit

Often, a famous fruit called jackfruit or Artocarpus heterophyllus is mistaken for a bread tree. In appearance, the jackfruit is really similar to the fruits of a breadfruit, however, this is just an external similarity. Jackfruit or Indian breadfruit is just a close relative of the breadfruit Artocarpus altilis. Bread tree, however, like jackfruit belongs to the Mulberry family. The homeland of the plant is considered the territory of New Guinea, where aborigines have long used the fruits of the plant as food.

Over time, the Polynesians brought breadfruit fruits to the islands of the Oceania region. In the era of great geographical discoveries, European sailors began to actively develop the previously unexplored territories of Oceania. In those distant times, the acquaintance of the European public with an outlandish delicacy began - the fruits of a bread tree. William Dampier was the first to tell about the fruits of the bread tree. The English navigator back in the XVII century described the strange fruits of the plant, which completely replaces the natives with bread and bakery products.

Another notable historical fact related to the fruits of the breadfruit. In the 18th century, famine broke out in Jamaica, food was not enough and people began to die in the thousands. Then the planters decided to buy seedlings of bread tree and cultivate the plant in order to improve the food situation in the region. The famous three-masted English ship HMS Bounty was supposed to deliver bread tree seedlings to Tahiti.

However, the outbreak of a riot on the ship did not allow the delivery of valuable cargo. True, after some time, the bread tree still began to be cultivated on an industrial scale in Jamaica. Bread tree belongs to a fairly fast-growing and developing species of tropical plants. In appearance, the bread tree somewhat resembles the well-known and widespread oak in our latitudes. Bread tree blooms with small inflorescences, which eventually transform into rather massive fruits. Usually, one fruit of a bread tree weighs about 3-4 kg.

In nature, there are two main varieties of breadfruit - wild and cultural. The two types of bread tree differ only in that the fruits of the wild bread tree contain seeds that are used for further cultivation of the plant. The fruits of the bread tree are considered an indispensable food in the diet of the inhabitants of Oceania, as well as Asia.

The flesh of the breadfruit is fried, baked, dried, and also candied, mashed, or consumed fresh. To taste, the cooked fruits of the bread tree are somewhat similar to potatoes. In addition to the pulp of the fruits of the bread tree, the seeds of the plant are also consumed. Bread tree refers to those rare species of plants that are considered the most productive. Up to 200 fruits can be harvested from a single tree during the harvest season.