Breadfruit scientifically known as Artocarpus altilis is actually a large, branch, evergreen canopy perennial tree often growing to 30 m high. It was once used to inexpensively feed slaves, and it has been cultivated as a staple food due to its versatility, significant energy content, and large yield capacity. Breadfruit can be cooked and eaten at all stages of development. It is typically consumed when mature, but still firm, and is a delicious substitute for any starchy root crop, vegetable, pasta, potato, or rice.
| Name | Breadfruit |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Artocarpus altilis |
| Native | Native to a vast area extending from the Indo-Malayan Archipelago the Philippines and the Moluccas through New Guinea to Western Micronesia. |
| Common/English Name | Breadfruit, Breadnut, Breadnut Tree |
| Name in Other Languages | Solomon Islands : Bia Malaysia : Sukun Banaban : Te Mai India : Bakri-Chajhar Danish : Brødfrugt Kosrae : Mos Papiamento : Frut’e Pan Dutch : Broodvrucht (Fruit) Venezuela : Pan De Ano Samoan : Ulu Fijian : Uto Spanish : Árbol Del Pan Mexico : Castano De Malabar ( Yucatan ) Tuvalu : ‘Ulu Guatemala : Mazapan (Seedless) Peru : Marure Hawaii : Ulu Puerto Rico : Panapen (Seedless) Honduras : Mazapan (Seedless) Rotoman : Ulu Vietnam : Sakê Indonesia : Sukun Papua New Guinea : Kapiak Thailand : Sa Ke Italian : Artocarpo Marquesas : Mei Eastonian : Hõlmine Leivapuu Marshall Islands : Mei Chinese : Mian Bao Shu Micronesia : Mei Taiwan : Luo Mi Shu Kiribati : Mei Palau : Meduu Tongan : Mei Philippines : Rimas ( Tagalog) Cook Island : Kuru Portuguese : Fruta-Pão Vanuatu : Beta Society Islands : Uru French : Arbre A Pain Mariana Islands : Lemae Swedish : Brödfruktträd German : Brotfrucht Khmer : Sakee |
| Plant Growth Habit | Large, branch, evergreen canopy perennial tree |
| Soil | Adaptable to a wide range of soil types from deep, fertile, well-drained soil – sands, sandy-loams, loams, sandy clay loams to sandy coralline soils near the sea and on coralline limestone. |
| Plant Size | 30 m high |
| Leaf | Clustered at end of branches and arranged spirally up the branchlet, on 8–12 cm petiole. Leaf blade 12–59 cm long by 10–47 cm wide, but juvenile leaves often larger, usually deeply pinnately lobed with up to 13 lobes cut from 1/3 to 4/5 of the way to midrib, rarely nearly entire with a praemorse apex, varying in size and shape on the same tree, thickly coriaceous, below pale green, above dark green and glossy, glabrous, to moderately pubescent, juvenile leaves may be densely pubescent, with pale or colorless, rough-walled hairs on midrib, adaxial and abaxial blade. |
| Flower | Axillary and solitary, flowers on an unbranched axis (male inflorescences drooping, cylindrical to club-shaped) or flowers arising from a single point (female inflorescences stiffly upright, globose or cylindrical). Male flowers with tubular perianth apically 2-lobed, pubescent, lobes lanceolate; anther elliptic. Female flowers with tubular perianth, ovoid ovary and along, apically 2-branched style. |
| Fruit Shape & Size | Indehiscent globose, ovoid to cylindrical, 9–29 cm long by 6–20 cm wide |
| Fruit Color | Green turning yellowish-brown when ripe, rarely pinkish |
| Fruit Skin | Ranges from smooth to rough to spiny |
| Flesh Color | Creamy white to pale yellow |
| Fruit Weight | 1 to 5 kg. |
| Flavor/Aroma | Pleasant aromatic smell |
| Taste | fairly sweet |
| Seed | Rounded or obovoid, irregularly compressed, 1-3 cm long and with a pale to dark brown seed coat. |
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| Major Nutrition | Vitamin C (Ascorbic acid) 63.8 mg (70.89%) Carbohydrate 59.66 g (45.89%) Total dietary Fiber 10.8 g (28.42%) Potassium, K 1078 mg (22.94%) Copper, Cu 0.185 mg (20.56%) Vitamin B1 (Thiamin) 0.242 mg (20.17%) Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic acid) 1.005 mg (20.10%) Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine) 0.22 mg (16.92%) Iron, Fe 1.19 mg (14.88%) Magnesium, Mg 55 mg (13.10%) Vitamin B3 (Niacin) 1.98 mg (12.38%) |
| Health Benefits |
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| Calories in 1 cup (220 gm) | 227 K cal |