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Re: Breadfruit to the rescue
breadfruit
breadfruit
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Re: Breadfruit to the rescue
that's latex seeping out of these breadfruit
roasting and roasted
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Re: Breadfruit to the rescue
young breadfruit
breadfruit botany is fascinating. what we call the breadfruit is about 1500-2000 <span style="font-weight: bold">flowers</span> that have fused together into a ball to form the "fruit". in the young breadfruit you can see the single "flowers" more clearly. in the mature breadfruit, the sign of each flower is the hexagonal shape in the "skin".
mature
in case you 're wondering what that long piece is, its the "male" flower. the ball is the "female" flower. we eat the female (compound) flower.
the money shot
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Re: Breadfruit to the rescue
my word
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Re: Breadfruit to the rescue
Breadfruits belong to the mulberry family (moraceae). family characteristics are milky sap and compound flowers. You can have breadfruits with seed, or they are seedless (the kind popular in Jamaica, those little black things in the middle are called "abortive seeds"
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Some of breadfruit's cousins:
Jackfruit
Breadnut (the answer to a quiz recently posed by Jamaica Jewel, i think)
Mulberry - good for jams, loved by birds
Figs - except that, unlike the breadfruit, the flowers are on the <span style="font-style: italic">inside</span>
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Re: Breadfruit to the rescue
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: CeaBee</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> my word </div></div>
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Re: Breadfruit to the rescue
The majestic breadfruit tree can grow up to 80 feet high, and yield 200 or more breadfruit a year, more or less on a continuous basis.
don't know about anyone else, but in jamaica the sight of a breadfruit tree brings a lump to my throat.
in our yard, there was a swing attached to the breadfruit tree, and it was there my cousins and i used to practice jumping off the swing while it was in an upward arc. i wonder if kids today still do dem kinna daredevil stunts. 
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Re: Breadfruit to the rescue
the large, glossy and deeply lobed breadfruit leaf has been properly described as <span style="font-style: italic">handsome</span>
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Re: Breadfruit to the rescue
artworks inspired by the breadfruit leaf
drum
bag hook 
gourd
eggshell mosaic
wall light
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Some different breadfruit recipes
These are from my cookbook, Traditional Jamaican Cookery, by Norma Benghiat. She is a past student of St. Andrew's high school. Book published in 1985 by Penguin.
<span style="font-weight: bold">Breadfruit in coconut sauce</span> (it seems like a kind of breadfruit run down )
1/2 lb (250 g) bacon
3 stalks skellion, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
1 sprig thyme
3 slices hot pepper
2 1/2 cups (1 pint, 600 ml) coconut milk
1 immature breadfruit, peeled and sliced
Place a large frying pan or skillet on a low heat. Add the bacon, cut in 2-inch (5cm) strips. When the bacon fat runs, add the skellion, tomato, thyme and hot pepper. Stir. Add the coconut milk and bring to the boil. Lower the heat and add salt, pepper and the breadfruit. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes, or until the breadfruit is tender and the sauce turns oily. Enough for 4-5.
<span style="font-weight: bold">Breadfruit Blossom Preserves</span>, <span style="font-style: italic">for cooks living a yaad</span>.
The blossoms of he breadfruit tree, or swords, as they are called, fall to the ground and are usually left to rot. But they can be made into a delicious preserve.
12 breadfruit blossoms
2 cups (1 lb, 500 g) sugar
1 cup water
Gather the blossoms while they are still fresh and plump, soak them in some water for 15 minutes, the scrape off the rough outer skin*. Put them in a saucepan with enough water to cover them. Bring to the boil and cook them until they are tender, then discard the water. In the meantime prepare a thick syrup wih th esugar and water. Add the blossoms to the syrup and continue to cook them gently until they have absorbed most of it. Dry them in the sun [Put out on a wire rack. Cover with a thin piece of muslin to keep off flies. Turn once a day. Take indoors at the end of each day to avoid dew. Continue the process for at least a week until they are quite dry. Pack in airtight tins with waxed paper between layers.]
<span style="font-style: italic">*the rough outer skin is actually the thousands of dried miniature flowers making up the compoud male flower of the breadfruit tree. here's a repeat shot:</span>
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Re: Some different breadfruit recipes
These recipes are from The Complete Book of Caribbean Cooking, by Elisabeth Lambert Ortiz. First published in 1973, issued by Ballantine Books in 1986.
<span style="font-weight: bold">Breadfruit Vichyssoise</span> (aka cold breadfruit soup
)
This recipe is from Grenada
2 tablespoons unsalted buter
2 medium onions, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 pound fresh breadfruit, or 1/3 can breadfruit (1 pound 10 ounce can)
1 quart chicken stock
1/2 pint (1 cup) light cream
salt, freshly ground white pepper to taste
Chopped chives
Heat the butter in a heavy saucepan and saute the onions and garlic until tender but not browned. If using fresh breadfruit, peel the breadfruit, remove the core and dice. If using canned breadfruit, chop coarsley. Add the onions and garlic with the chicken stock and cook, covered, at a gentle simmer until the breadfruit is tender. Cool. Put into an electric blender and blend until smooth, adding the cream whle blending. Season with salt and pepper. Chill thoroughly. If the soup is too thick, thin with a little milk. Serve soup srpinkled with chopped chives. Serves 6.
<span style="font-weight: bold">Pudding au Fruit a Pain (Breadfruit Pudding)</span>
This recipe is from Martinique
1/2 can breadfruit (1 pound 10 ounce can)
1/2 cup sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Grated rind of 1 lime, or lemon
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/4 cup dark rum
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups milk
2 large eggs
Drain the breadfruit, divide in 2 equal parts. (Store the second half in the can liquid in a covered container in the refrigerator. It will keep for a week or two.)
Mash the breadfruit until smooth. Add the sugar, butter, lime rind and flour, mixing well. Stir in the rum, vanilla, milk and eggs, beating until the mixture is smooth. Pour into a buttered mold or baking dish. Cook for 1 1/2 hours in a 350 degree oven, or until a toothpick inserted into the pudding comes out clean. Serve at room temperature with rum sauce or any dessert sauce. Serves 6.
If using fresh breadfruit, peel, remove the core and cook 1 pound of the breadfruit in boiling salted water until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and use as canned breadfruit.Comment
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