In this the 16th instalment of the continuing series, Food for Thought/ Grow & Eat Local, we focus on breadfruit, a fruit capable of going a long way in feeding the world if properly harnessed since a tree can live for over 50 years and is capable of producing over 400 pounds of fruit per season. It also has few pests and diseases and is compatible with many other crops.
Breadfruit trees have been growing in backyards across the Caribbean for generations and is one of the highest yielding food plants. Studies in Barbados indicate a potential of 16 to 32 tons per hectare (6.7-13.4 tons/acre).
Researchers at the University of the West Indies believe that this local staple has the potential to improve our food and nutrition security and are working towards increasing the opportunities for commercialisation of breadfruit. To that end they held, through its Faculty of Food and Agriculture, an International Breadfruit Conference in 2015. There is even a Facebook page called the International Breadfruit Network to exchange ideas and information across geographical borders on anything breadfruit-related.
Food for Thought/Grow and Eat Local seeks to inform about the 149 crops that are grown in T&T (not counting the varieties within many of them) which are depicted on two charts giving the local and scientific names and were sponsored by First Citizens. The model has been duplicated in Barbados, St Lucia and St Vincent and efforts are underway to do so in Jamaica and Guyana. Copies have been distributed to all schools and libraries.
Here in T&T we tend to gravitate towards fruits and foods that are not local. Estimates are that our food import bill is near TT$5 billion annually and growing. Did you know that in the 1960s the Macqueripe/Tucker Valley was lush with citrus and banana fields producing more than enough to supply the nation? In other fertile areas other crops were prolific.
Oil centricity, industrialisation and non-agricultural business have essentially put paid significantly to the agricultural sector. Agricultural economist Omardath Maharaj has been calling on citizens and government to engage and support the resurrection and revival of local food production, processing and consumption.
Breadfruit�Artocarpus altilis, is an important food item, one of the important staple foods wherever it is cultivated, providing fruit, edible seeds, timber and bark fibre. Breadfruit trees grow to a height of 25 m (82 ft). All parts of the tree yield latex, a milky juice, which is useful for boat caulking. Easy to propagate via root cuttings and via air-layering techniques, breadfruit can easily replace other staple starchy foods.
Breadfruit was introduced into the West Indies by Captain William Bligh, the British Naval officer famous for his part in the mutiny on the HMS Bounty in 1789. Bligh carried breadfruit plants from Tahiti to Jamaica and St Vincent in 1791.
Breadfruit is closely related to the breadnut or chataigne, both trees noticeably similar in external appearance except that while the outer skin of the breadfruit is smooth, that of the chataigne is spiny. There are three cultivated species in the Artocarpus family–breadfruit, chataigne (also known as breadnut and catahar) and jackfruit (kowha) that are grown in T&T.
Like the banana and plantain, the breadfruit may be eaten ripe as a fruit or underripe as a vegetable. Before being eaten, the fruits are roasted, baked, fried or boiled. When cooked, the taste of moderately ripe breadfruit is described as potato-like, or similar to freshly-baked bread. Because breadfruit trees usually produce large crops at certain times of the year, preservation of the harvested fruit is an issue.
One traditional preservation technique is to bury peeled and washed fruits in a leaf-lined pit where they ferment over several weeks and produce a sour, sticky paste. So stored, the product may last a year or more and some pits are reported to have produced edible contents more than 20 years later. When storing breadfruit for a short period of time, keep it in a cool, dark place until needed. If it is to be stored overnight, place the breadfruit under water.
Breadfruit trees begin bearing fruit in three to five years and require little attention or care, and can be grown under a wide range of ecological conditions. Most breadfruit we get in the Caribbean are the large, seedless types–white and yellow varieties–and have more pulp for human consumption.
Most breadfruit in Trinidad grow along the east coast and in the valleys because of the higher moisture there. Cultivating breadfruit trees protects watersheds; replacing slash-and-burn agriculture and field cropping with a permanent tree cover.
Sadly in T&T many children are growing up without having eaten breadfruit in their lives! Eating itwith fish, meat or other proteins provides the nutrients necessary for a healthy and active body. The seeds are a fair source of protein, which the body needs to grow and stay healthy. Vitamin B1 (thiamin), which is plentiful in the seeds, helps the body to convert carbohydrates into energy and heat.
In Trinidad we prefer the mature, hard fruit to be peeled, sliced and fried or deep fried into pieces to be eaten with tomato or any other vegetable. The soft-ripe fruit may be halved, the pulp spooned into a skillet, flattened, and fried like a thick pancake. Nutritionally, breadfruit flesh is an excellent staple, rich in proteins and with a range of amino acids. However, it contains a lot of starch and it must be supplemented with green leafy vegetables to provide a balanced meal.
Breadfruit is gluten-free, has high energy from carbohydrates, is a source of protein and dietary fibre, and has a high potassium content. It also has a lower glycemic index than widely-consumed imported cereals. This nutritional content makes it attractive in the fight against diseases like diabetes and hypertension.
Boiled, mashed, curried or fried, breadfruit tastes great...breadfruit fritters, oil down, breadfruit pie, breadfruit flour, breadfruit bara, bread, pastries from breadfruit, and even breadfruit sausage rolls. "Oil Down" is a popular breadfruit dish cooked in coconut milk with meat, dasheen leaves and flavoured with fresh turmeric and green seasonings.
According to Julius Garvey, grandson of activist Marcus Garvey, on his visit to T&T in 2015, about breadfruit: "You can make it into flour and make bread, pancakes, pasta, pastries. Then you don't have to import wheat. Think of the money saved in import substitution. In addition, it is gluten-free, has a lower glycemic index and it is nutritionally superior to wheat and with other measures will combat obesity and its derivative non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, heart attacks and strokes....food production, processing and distribution are largely still monopolised by global corporate giants who focus on a small range of items: corn, rice, wheat, and canola. We have mangoes, pineapple, papaya, orange, lime, grapefruit, soursop, jack fruit, star apple, tamarind, guava, melon–we always have some fruit that is always in season...our staples are yam, cassava, banana, plantain, sweet potato, rice, pumpkin, dasheen, chataigne, breadfruit, coffee, cocoa, avocado, beans. Our spices are onion, garlic, salt, pimento, nutmeg, thyme, bay leaf....I don't think there is anywhere else in the world with that variety of food. We are surrounded by the Caribbean. We have fish, we have shrimp, we have conch..."
Visit the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries' website athttp://www.agriculture.gov.tt/
This series is written in collaboration with Cynthra Persad, retired director of Research, Ministry of Agriculture. For information on acquiring copies of the two crops of T&T charts, email fruitstt@live.com
Breadfruit punch
INGREDIENTS
1 ripe breadfruit
1 can sweetened condensed milk (8 oz)
� cup evaporated milk
1 tbsp sugar
� tsp ground nutmeg
� tsp ground cinnamon
� tsp vanilla essence
2 cups water
METHOD
�2 Cut fruit into quarters and remove core.
�2 Boil the pieces in water on medium fire until soft. Do not discard water.
�2 In an electric blender combine breadfruit and evaporated milk.
�2 Slowly add condensed milk, and blend until smooth.
�2 Add all other ingredients to the mixture and stir. The thickness of the punch depends on amount of water used. Leave in refrigerator for two hours. Serve with ice.