Considered by General Gordon of Khartoum as being the “tree of life” (many locals subscribe to this theory!), the breadfruit acts as a staple of the Seychellois diet. We are still unsure of how the breadfruit tree was introduced to the Seychelles. The tree is one of the most beautiful in the tropics – a magnificent giant with huge, long-fingered, decorative leaves. Few sights match them when the 15cm round, green, pimply fruits hang down from the branches in considerable numbers. The flesh of the breadfruit has a fibrous, starchy flavour, which becomes sweeter with ripening. The central core, called ‘gongon’ in Creole, is discarded.
The breadfruit is a very versatile food ingredient. It can be cooked and eaten at all stages of development. In order to select the right breadfruit it is critical that you understand the terminology used to describe the stages of development of breadfruit.The stages are commonly referred to as immature, mature or ripe.
An immature breadfruit is of course smaller. It is bright green in color with white-green flesh, and will bleed a sticky, whitish sap when cut or bruised. It can be boiled, pickled or marinated, and has a taste similar to artichoke hearts. It can be sliced—seeds and all—and cooked as a vegetable.
Mature breadfruit is starchy and firm. Depending on the variety, the skin will change from the bright green of an immature fruit to darker green, golden yellow, and even a rusty orange color. The flesh will be firm, with color from white to pale, creamy yellow. A few splotches of dried sap dot the skin, with slight brown cracking or crusting around individual sections. In the mature stage, breadfruit is the perfect substitute for any starchy root vegetable. It can be boiled, steamed, baked, mashed, made into soup and fried. It can even be cooked in coconut milk as a dessert, locally known as ladob fryiapen.
Ripe fruit has a yellow-green to yellow-brown peel and is soft to the touch with a sweet, aromatic smell. The creamy, sweet flesh can be made into beverages, pies, cakes, and other desserts, and is great food for babies. The peel is yellow-green to yellow-brown in color. This is the only stage where the fruit can be eaten raw, and the taste and texture is similar to custard.
One traditional way to eat a breadfruit is to roast it whole in coconut husks for about 45 minutes and when the skin is charred, crack it open to reveal the steaming creamy white flesh which you lather with fresh lard and salt. Butter or margarine has now replaced the lard.
In the early days, the breadfruit was dried and turned into flour and exported to Europe.
Please note that a freshly picked fruit will bleed a sticky white sap when cut or bruised. And do not forget the Creole saying-” if you eat a breadfruit in Seychelles, you are bound to return to the islands”.
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