Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis); Another carbohydrate source

"In Polynesia, traditionally, you will be planting breadfruit when the child is born, because it will ensure the availability of food throughout the life of the child," Zerega said, as reported by Medical Daily. (Source)

Today it is grown in some 90 countries throughout South and Southeast Asia, the Pacific Ocean, the Caribbean, Central America and Africa, as mentioned in the wikipedia. (1) Its name in English derived by the similarity of its ripe fruit to freshly baked bread and having a potato-like flavor. (2) In the language of the Acehnese, it is a sukoen due to its seedless fruit, if it has seeds, the Acehnese call it kulu.

In addition to the fruit serving as a staple food in many cultures, the trees' light, sturdy timber has been used for outriggers, ships and houses in the tropics.(3)

The breadfruit tree is generally a tall tree, its height can reach 30 m. It can produce up to 200 pieces per tree per year. Each fruit weighs between 400-1200 grams, but there are also varieties, of which the fruit can reach 5 kg. Its energy value is between 470-670 kJ per 100 gram. So it is not surprising that breadfruit attracted Western explorers, who then imported this plant from Tahiti to tropical America (Caribbean) in the late 1780s to produce cheap food for the slaves there. (4)

The dried fruit flesh can be flour with starch content up to 75%, 31% sugar, 5% protein, and about 2% fat. The sap is used to trap birds, patch the boats, and as a basic ingredient of chewing gum.Wood of breadfruit is often used as a household appliance, lightweight construction, and make the boat.(5)

Breadfruit, an equatorial lowland species, grows best below elevations of 650 metres (2,130 ft), but is found at elevations of 1,550 metres (5,090 ft). Preferred soils are neutral to alkaline (pH of 6.1–7.4) and either sand, sandy loam, loam or sandy clay loam. Breadfruit is able to grow in coral sands and saline soils. The breadfruit is ultra-tropical, requiring a temperature range of 16–38 °C (61–100 °F) and an annual rainfall of 200–250 cm (80–100 in).(6)

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breadfruit
2. https://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sukun_(pohon)
3. http://www.antaranews.com/berita/442503/sukun-ternyata-superfoods