My first exposure to breadfruit was watching a TV rerun of Charles Laughton in “Mutiny on the Bounty” on the ship’s ignominious South Sea voyage to get breadfruit trees to feed England’s West Indies’ slaves. Now I am the one who eats, or am fed, breadfruit almost everyday.
Breadfruit trees are very common. They are quite beautiful with large decorative leaves whose shape is found in many Samoan patterns. These leaves fall throughout the year and are picked up by children every morning as their first daily chore. The trees fruit twice a season; the second fruits somewhat smaller than the first.
Boiled or baked breadfruit is a stable for both humans and pigs. To me it tastes like a mouth full of unsalted soda crackers. Putting coconut cream on it provides a sweet lubricant.
At night the unpicked overripe fruit comes crashing through the trees, splats on the ground, and looks like white vomit. You can hear the pigs scurrying to eat this treat. No food goes to waste in Samoa.
I now wonder whether it was Captain’s Bligh’s harsh discipline of his sailors (He was acquitted of that charge), the lure of South Sea’s wahines, or the thought of breadfruit that caused some of his crew to mutiny. Somehow a movie made about eating breadfruit just doesn’t quite have the audience appeal as a lashing with the “Cat of Nine-Tails”.
Breadfruit
Breadfruit Trees in Front of our House
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