Breadfruit

Breadfruit is a large, starchy fruit often described as having a potato-like flavor when ripe and cooked, with subtle sweet undertones. Its texture is smooth and creamy, similar to a cooked potato or yam. The exterior has a rough, green skin that turns yellowish-green as it matures, and inside you'll find dense, pale flesh that firms up when young and softens as it ripens. Because it behaves so much like a vegetable in the kitchen despite being a fruit, it's used as a staple carbohydrate across the tropics, from the Caribbean to the Pacific Islands to West Africa. It's a naturally gluten-free, plant-based ingredient that works in both sweet and savory dishes.

How ripe your breadfruit is really changes what you can do with it. Fully mature but still-firm fruit tastes green and starchy, almost like a raw potato, and is best boiled, roasted, or fried. As it ripens on the counter the flesh grows sweeter, softer, and more custard-like, which is when it shines in puddings, fritters, and cakes. A single fruit is big enough to feed a family, so many cooks buy one, use half savory and let the rest ripen for something sweet.

If you can't find it fresh, breadfruit sits comfortably alongside other tropical starches. A ripe plantain, a floury potato, or a peeled taro will all stand in depending on the dish, and it's a natural partner to the coconut milk, chilies, and warm spices common in island cooking. Explore delicious and healthy breadfruit recipes for baking, grilling, and more.