Is Boring Breadfruit Our 'Food of the Future'?

Hawaii hosts movement to support the nutritious stuff
By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 1, 2011 4:46 PM CDT
Is Boring Breadfruit Our 'Food of the Future'?
Breadfruit isn't too appetizing.   (Shutterstock)

It’s highly nutritious and some say it could alleviate world hunger; trouble is, it’s not too appetizing. “You have to kind of fool people to get them to try it,” a chef tells the Wall Street Journal. That may be worth it, breadfruit supporters say: A movement of sorts has developed around the food, known as ‘ulu in Hawaii. “Think of sautéed breadfruit as a platform for any kind of cuisine or flavor,” says a woman running a grove on Maui.

A breadfruit tree offers 450 pounds of fruit each season; in a 121-calorie, half-cup serving of the stuff, you get plenty of fiber, calcium, potassium, and more. On the other hand, it’s starchy, mealy, and quick to spoil. But an effort in Hawaii to popularize the fruit has backers discussing it in schools and chefs pushing it at restaurants. “I feel it's the food of the future,” says one chef. “If I were to speak to the breadfruit spirit, it would tell me: 'Grow me! Eat me!' It can feed villages!" (More food stories.)

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