the breadfruit - sukun
i have blogged about the breadfruit tree here. i am blogging about it again because when i was in kota kinabalu, at the open-air market, i realised that the fruit is quite popular in sabah. at least popular enough for it to be sold at the market. in singapore, you will not be able to find the sukun - the local name for it - at the supermarkets and most markets. if you are lucky, you may be able to get one from geylang serai market.
also, over in kota kinabalu, at the filipino market, they were selling breadfruit fritters which i managed to get, many years ago, at a stall in haiq road food centre. my friend and former colleague just informed me that the fritters are available at hajah maimunah in joo chiat. the fritter tastes a bit like tapioca (ubi kayu) but it is more fibrous.
i was told by another friend that the ripe breadfruit can be used as a substitute for potato. this means you can use the breadfruit to cook curry dishes in which the potato is used.
as i have mentioned in the earlier post, the breadfruit tree is not that uncommon in singapore. you can find it growing on its own in wasteland, by the roadside and in some private gardens. i think the breadfruit belongs to the same family as the jackfruit.
it is quite easy to identify a breadfruit tree by its large leaves. the breadfruit has unusual shaped leaves. they are more or less cut into 5 to 10pointed lobes. the leaves are glossy on top and have stiff hair on the underside.
Hi YG,
ReplyDeleteYou have forgotten to mention the breadfriut seeds. Boiled breadfruit seeds taste like jackfruit seeds. There were two big breadfruit trees in our garden when we were living in Papua New Guinea. Some Papua New Guineans even turn the bark into a paper like clothing to wear.
phil, you mean like the chempedak seeds. i didn't know that the seeds can be eaten this way. thanks for the info.
ReplyDeleteYG, the Breadfruit plant was the
ReplyDeletecause of the infamous mutiny
described in the famous book, and
film based on it, titled "Mutiny
on the Bounty".
THe ship "Bounty" under Captain
Bligh was carrying a load of
Breadfruit saplings from the
Pacific to to be replanted in the
West Indies. (Breadfruit plants,
like Banana plants, do not
reproduce by seeds). The plants
needed water -- and so did the
sailors. Whoever stole water to
drink was whipped so badly as to
be a deterrent to the others. The
First Mate Fletcher Christian
(next in seniority to Captain
Bligh) considered that the crew
needed the water more than the
plants and one thing led to
another .....
If you have time take a look at
this website:
http://retrievia.wordpress.com/?s=breadfruit
Regards,
tan wee kiat
-----------------
wk, thks for the link. i have read about this when i was looking for more info on the breadfruit.
ReplyDeleteIs it illegal to plant breadfruit tree in a park?
ReplyDeleteThere is breadfruit trees in Singapore and I know were to find 2. It's located in Hougang.
ReplyDelete