I have been wanting to write about breadfruit for a long time because it is delicious and most likely not something many people in North America have tasted. I tasted my first breadfruit while vacationing in the Caribbean, where it grows everywhere as well as the South Pacific, where it originates and has been utilized as a food source for thousands of years.
I think the first time I tasted breadfruit was while eating a plate of jerk chicken. Jerk is accompanied by starchy fruits and vegetables like breadfruit, plantain, and boniato; one of the neat things about Caribbean fruits and vegetables is that they can serve as both fruit and vegetable in one! Plantain is a commonly known example of a fruit that can be appreciated both as a vegetable and a fruit, depending on its stage of ripeness and the way it is cooked. Breadfruit’s soft texture after roasting does have a pleasing mouth feel, with a starchiness that is similar to a cooked medium-ripe plantain. It is not very sweet at all, in fact, it is a little bland, reminiscent of white bread. Raw breadfruit can be sliced then fried in oil to make chips; it can be roasted whole, boiled in water or in a soup, and processed and used to make bread.
What’s to love about breadfruit? Breadfruit is one of those foods that I can build something around. In this case, Chelsea built a local excursion around it and together, we built a series of meals around it. Preparing familiar flavors from far away places can transport our spirits. The other week, Chelsea approached a woman on the campus where she works after identifying her accent as being from the Caribbean. I’m not sure how far they were into their conversation before Chelsea started talking about food, but if I were to guess I would say not far. Chelsea asked the woman if she knew of anyplace in Chicago that sells breadfruit, and the Jamaican woman told her about a produce market way up north. The plan to acquire breadfruit had been hatched.
We made the trek up north to look for breadfruit, not knowing for sure whether or not there would actually be any. Eventually, finding the breadfruit was an added bonus to our adventure. On the way home we stopped by the Caribbean American Bakery on Howard Street to snack on a couple of beef patties and to bring some frozen patties and plantain tarts home to enjoy in the future. Later that night I brined a filet of snapper, which I cooked for breakfast the following morning with ackee from the market, which we served with breadfruit roasted whole on the grill. Later, the breadfruit was part of a coconut fish stew known as “rundown.”
ackee, saltfish, roasted breadfruit (upper left), and plantain
rundown
It’s kind of funny to think that I could get so excited about something that is just a humble starchy accompaniment. The fact is, I can get more excited about weeds and tubers than many other “luxurious” foodstuffs. We all have our preferences; mine continue to expand as a result of my appreciation for what grows around me and for where life takes me.
As someone who believes in the value of eating local, I’m well aware that breadfruit is not something that grows in the Midwest. But because Chicago has such a huge African and Caribbean population, their local fruits, vegetables, and staples will always be available to them wherever they are–as well as to other people, like myself, who appreciate them. Breadfruit trees could not survive the harsh winters of the Midwest, but they could thrive in a state such as Florida, where their fruit could become as local as an orange.
My love for breadfruit means that my sensors will always be tuned to anything I hear about it. Recently, forager Sunny Savage posted a link on her Facebook page to some breadfruit recipes. She’s currently living and working in Hawaii, and through her posting on breadfruit I learned that breadfruit also grows in Hawaii. I also learned about an organization called Global Breadfruit, which believes that cultivating more breadfruit trees could mean a whole lot of food for a whole lot of starving people. It’s always nice to learn that something I love to eat “could save the world.”
