The incredible edible & medicinal breadfruit!
The incredible edible & medicinal breadfruit!
Breadfruit is a nutritious crop rich in carbohydrates, dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals. It also has a number of important medicinal applications!
Breadfruit is a traditional starch crop in Oceania, made particularly famous due to its role in the mutiny against Captain William Bligh on the HMS Bounty in 1789. Today, breadfruit is grown in nearly 90 countries in tropical regions worldwide, including the Pacific Islands, the Caribbean, Southeast Asia, Africa, and South America. It is a popular staple food in many of these regions and is also used in various dishes and recipes. Jamaica has even adopted breadfruit as a national symbol and celebrates an annual breadfruit festival!
Beyond its utility as a nutritious food ingredient, breadfruit has several medicinal benefits, as explored below.
Mutiny on the Bounty
Earlier this week, I wrote about the arrival of sugarcane in the Caribbean and the point at which Barbados became a site for British sugarcane cultivation in the early 17th Century. This was all part of the triangle of trade based on the movement of enslaved peoples from Africa and goods to America and Europe. The British Government identified breadfruit as desirable as a cheap and abundant food source for enslaved people who worked in their sugarcane fields. In 1787, Captain William Bligh set sail with a crew of 45 on a mission to retrieve breadfruit from Polynesia and deliver the plants across the world to British colonies in the West Indies (now known as the Caribbean). However, the HMS Bounty sailors rebelled in 1789 and took control of the ship, setting the Captain and a few crew members adrift in a small boat. The mutineers returned to Tahiti, where they were eventually apprehended and brought to trial in England.
The infamous breadfruit plants eventually made their way to the Caribbean with Captain Bligh, carried this time on the HMS Providence and arriving in 1793. From that moment, they were planted for food production. Despite its ugly history tied to slavery in the triangle trade, breadfruit remains an important food and medicine source and an integral part of the cuisine in the region.
Nutritional Profile
Breadfruit is highly nutritious. This fruit is rich in a variety of essential micronutrients and health-benefiting constituents, such as:
Vitamins: Breadfruit is rich in vitamin C, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, and folate. These vitamins play important roles in energy metabolism, immune function, and cell growth and repair.
Carbohydrates: Complex carbohydrates, which provide a sustained source of energy for the body.
Dietary fiber: Dietary fiber can help improve digestion, lower cholesterol levels, and promote satiety (feeling full after consuming a breadfruit dish).
Minerals: Some of the minerals found in this fruit include potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron, and zinc. These are important for maintaining healthy bones and muscles.
Processing
The breadfruit fruit pulp is processed in different ways, including fried, boiled, or mashed in a paste. Breadfruit was a traditional staple food in Oceania. When very ripe, the fruit can be eaten raw. However, it was also diced, cooked, and dried to extend its shelf-life. The seeds are also edible when cooked.
In my opinion, one of the most interesting ways breadfruit is preserved is through a pit fermentation method. The whole fruit is buried underground in a special pit where it is left to ferment. The lactic-acid fermentation process drops the fruit pH below four and breaks down the starches, yielding a dough-like paste that can last a year! In other words, the fermentation process extends the shelf life of the food and serves a vital role in food security. For example, if a storm destroys crops on an island, the buried breadfruit can serve as an essential food source to feed a community until new food can be grown or foraged. Modern processing methods also include transforming the fruit pulp into powdered flour or starch.
Medicinal Uses
Breadfruit roots, leaves, fruit, and latex have been traditionally used for medicinal purposes in many cultures. Examples of traditional applications include for its:
Anti-inflammatory properties that help reduce inflammation and swelling in the body. Breadfruit has been traditionally used to treat gout, arthritis, and other inflammatory conditions. It has also been used to lower blood pressure.
Anti-diabetic properties have been reported, which can help regulate blood sugar levels in the body. This makes it a useful food for people with diabetes or those at risk of developing the condition.
Respiratory health support may be linked to its reported expectorant properties, which can help clear mucous and make breathing easier. Traditionally, breadfruit has been used to treat respiratory conditions such as asthma, bronchitis, and coughs.
Digestive health support as breadfruit is an excellent source of dietary fiber, which can help promote digestive health and prevent constipation. Breadfruit has also been traditionally used to treat digestive issues such as diarrhea, stomachache, and dysentery.
Skin health support is linked to the antioxidant molecules found in the plant. Such molecules can help promote skin health and prevent premature aging. Breadfruit has also been traditionally used to treat skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, and other irritations.
The latest science on breadfruit
1. Origins
It’s complicated. There are hundreds of varieties of breadfruit that have been cultivated in Oceania. One recent genetic study on Melanesian and Polynesian varieties indicate two origins of breadfruit, based on human-directed hybridization of different related species over time. The breadfruit consumed widely today is Artocarpus altilis, and it belongs to the Moraceae (mulberry) family.
2. Pharmacological activities
Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity: A new study published this year reported that the fruit proteins (and their hydrolysate products) exhibit potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects relevant to the food industry as a ‘functional food’ (a food with health-promoting or other functional benefits).
Heart-protective activity: A 2017 study reported that breadfruit leaf extracts performed in rats found that the extract protects heart tissues from a form of heart damage.
Anticancer activity: A 2014 study reported the discovery of eight new compounds from breadfruit leaves, some of which inhibited pancreatic cells under nutrient-poor (for the cancer cells) growth conditions.
Learn more!
If breadfruit has caught your fancy, check out this episode of Foodie Pharmacology, where I interviewed the world’s leading expert on this incredible tropical food: Dr. Diane Ragone! Diane is the director of the Breadfruit Institute, based in Hawaiʻi. We dive into this fascinating plant's botany, history, and ethnobotany.
Wrap up
If you’ve never had the opportunity to try breadfruit, keep an eye out for it! I’ve seen it not only in restaurants and markets in the tropics, but also in the freezer section of ethnic grocery supermarkets in the USA. There are so many wonderful ways to enjoy this nutritious food, whether boiling, roasting, or frying it! If you have a favorite recipe for breadfruit, I’d love to hear about it! Please share below in comments with the Nature’s Pharmacy community 🙏
Yours in health, Dr. Quave
Cassandra L. Quave, Ph.D. is a scientist, author, speaker, podcast host, wife, mother, explorer, and professor at Emory University School of Medicine. She teaches college courses and leads a group of research scientists studying medicinal plants to find new life-saving drugs from nature. She hosts the Foodie Pharmacology podcast and writes the Nature’s Pharmacy newsletter to share the science behind natural medicines. To support her effort, consider a paid or founding subscription, with founding members receiving an autographed 1st edition hardcover copy of her book, The Plant Hunter.