Bread tree

Bread tree (Artocarpus altilis, Breadfruit, Pana). The same name is sometimes used for Jackfruit and Papaya, so do not get confused! New Guinea is considered to be the birthplace, from where this plant spread throughout the islands of Oceania and into the countries of Southeast Asia. Very productive breadfruit is a staple food in some countries.

The fruits are very large, round-oval (up to 30 cm in diameter and weight up to 4 kg.) Covered with a rough peel, which is green in immature form, and in a ripe fruit it is yellow-brown. The wild variety of breadfruit contains many seeds in the fruit, while the cultivated variety of seeds does not.

The unripe pulp is white, fibrous, starchy, and ripe becomes soft and changes color to cream or yellow. The ripe fruit is sweetish, but in general their taste is not very attractive, rather resembles potatoes and a banana. Unripe fruits are consumed as vegetables, and when they are cooked, you can just feel the bread taste.

The breadfruit is very nutritious, they contain (in dried form) 4% protein, 14% sugars, 75-80% carbohydrates (mainly starch) and practically do not contain fats.