Randy Bayliff, age i4, of Haw River, N.C., for his question:
Where does breadfruit grow?
It is relaxing to dream of a lazy land where the trees grow 100 loaves of bread. Nature provides plenty of foodstuffs, but as a rule we must work to prepare them and make them edible. In real life., this is true of the breadfruit tree. It requires effort to gather its mealy loaves and still more effort to cook them, for this bread cannot be eaten raw.
Captain James Cook was an explorer with a hobby. He searched for useful plants and introduced them to other lands. He was impressed by the breadfruit of the South Pacific islands. Two ships were sent to bring cuttings to the West Indies. The first never returned. The Second succeeded, and breadfruit still grows in Jamaica. The first ship was the Bounty, under Captain Bligh, and the voyage for breadfruit ended in a famous mutiny.
Breadfruit trees have thrived in Malaya since ancient times. They are common in India and Ceylon. They grow on the Pacific islands north and south of the equator. From the West Indies, breadfruit was introduced to the mainland and now grows from Mexico to Brazil. A few trees grow in Florida.
There are some 40 species of breadfruit, some better than others. All of them need a tropical climate with plenty of rainfall and good drainage, and frost is fatal to the tall, handsome trees. In the steamy tropics where grain does not do well, breadfruit is the basic starch food.
A breadfruit tree grows 40 to 60 feet tall. Halfway up the trunk, the shady branches fan out in dense foliage. The glossy leaves may be a foot wide, and the branches are hung with flowers and catkins and breadfruit in various stags of development.
The edible breadfruit is the size of a small human head, its white pulp encased in a rough rind of brownish green. The breadfruit is gathered before it is ripe, and there are always some ready on the tree; however, you must climb 20 to 30 feet
To reach a breadfruit. Since the pulp is raw starch, it must be well cooked. A helping of breadfruit tastes like a mashed potato. Salt, pepper and sometimes rich gravy are added to give flavor to the starchy food. In the tropics, breadfruit is often roasted in pits between hot stones and layers of leaves. It may be sliced and cooked like french fried potatoes. It can be dried and powdered to make flour or pounded to make creatly paste. Flavor is added when breadfruit is left to ferment, and then it is baked in a hot oven.