Edible Products. 



428 



[November, 1908. 



BREAD-FRUITS OF THE TROPICS. 



{Illustrated.) 



By H. F. Macmillan. 



The name ," bread " is applied to vari- 

 ous tropical fruits, and sometimes to 

 stems and tubers which furnish food to 

 the inhabitants of the country in which 

 they grow. It signifies ttie importance 

 of the article as a source of nutriment 

 rather than any resemblance to what is 

 generally called bread by other races. 

 Thus the Bread-fruit of Ceylon is Arto- 

 carpus ndbilis or "Del," which is indi- 

 genous to the Island ; that of the South- 

 Sea Islands, Artocarpus incisa or "Rata- 

 del," Sinh. ; of Tropical Africa. Treculia 

 africana: of Nicobar Islands, Pandanus 

 Serant, a species of screw-pine with 

 huge globular pendant fruits. The 

 " Bread-fruit " of Northern Australia is 

 Gardenia edulis, whilst the "Native- 

 bread " is Mylitta australis, and the 

 ''Tartar-bread," Crambe tartarica, a sea- 

 kale with a fleshy root. Then there is 

 the "Bread-nut" (Brosimum alicastrum) 

 of South America, the "Kaffir-bread" 

 {Eucephalartos sp.) of South Africa, and 

 the " Bread-root" {Psoralea esculenta) of 

 North America. 



For tropical countries the most valu- 

 able of these is the real Bread-fruit of 

 Malaya and the South Sea Islands. So 

 struck was Captain Cook, the explorer, 

 with the importance of this fruit to the 

 natives, that he induced the British 

 Government to send an expedition to the 

 Pacific Islands to procure and transport 

 young plants to the West Indies. The 

 first attempt was frustrated owing to 

 the mutiny of the crew of the ship 

 "Bounty" under Lieut. Bligb, but a 

 subsequent attempt proved successful, 

 and the bread-fruit tree has become tho- 

 roughly establisned in the West Indian 

 Islands and many parts of South Ame- 

 rica. The tree was introduced and estab- 

 lished in Ceylon before the British occu- 

 pation (1790). Its value was at once ap- 

 preciated by the natives, who have 

 planted it in their gardens and com- 

 pounds throughout the low-country. 

 Being especially adapted to the sea 

 coast, it is seen in the most luxuriating 

 state near the sea, in the moist districts. 

 The genus Artocarpus contains other 

 species which furnish nutritions fruits. 

 Among these is the jak-fruit {Artocarpus 

 ihtegrifolia), which is a household word 

 and a standard article of food with the 

 working classes in the Eastern tropics. 

 Taking the species in alphabetical order, 

 the first of importance is : — 



Artocarpus incisa, the bread-fruit 

 proper, known also as the "Tahiti 

 bread-fruit." In Ceylon it is known as 

 " Rata-del " to the Sinhalese, and " eera- 



pilakkai"to the Tamils. It is in regard 

 to foliage one of the handsomest of 

 tropical trees. Growing to a height of 

 forty to fifty feet, it bears very large 

 shining leaves, which are deeply cut 

 into lobes, as indicated by the specific 

 name. The fruit is oval or round in 

 shape, and about the size of a musk- 

 melon. Two or three fruits are borne, 

 more or less erect, in a cluster at the ends 

 of the young stiff branches. The fruit 

 of the best varieties contains no seed, 

 the whole interior consisting of a solid 

 mass of fleshy pulp. This, when sliced 

 and roasted, is said to resemble the 

 crumb of a new loaf. It is much 

 esteemed as a vegetable for curries, 

 and may also be prepared and used in 

 various other ways. Firminger, who 

 partook of the fruit in Ceylon, when 

 sliced and fried, considered it to be 

 " hardly distinguishable from an excel- 

 lent butter pudding." It can therefore 

 be understood why it forms the prin- 

 cipal diet of the natives of the South 

 Sea Islands. The fruit should be picked 

 for use when it is full-grown and has 

 not commenced to ripen, the latter state 

 being indicated by a softness of the 

 pulp ; the green colour of the fruit is 

 constant. The tree thrives up to 1,500 

 feet in the moist, hot districts of 

 Ceylon, more especially in proximity to 

 the sea. It is propagated by suckers from 

 the roots, also by gootee or layering. 



Artocarpus integrijolia , jak-fruit; 

 known to the Sinhalese as "kos"and to 

 the Tamils as " pilakkai. " This common 

 but useful tree hardly needs introduc 

 tion. Though met with in a naturalised 

 state in Ceylon, it is not indigenous 

 here, having been originally brought 

 from Southern India. That it has now 

 been introduced and established in 

 every tropical country is only what 

 is to be expected. The enormous fruit, 

 which may weigh anything up to 112 lb., 

 is borne on the trunk and older branches, 

 sometimes at the base of the trunk or even 

 under the ground surface. It is usually 

 oblong and irregular in shape, though 

 sometimes almost perfectly round or oval. 

 The rind, which remains green, consists 

 of somewhat hexagonal knobs, charac- 

 teristic of all fruits of this genus. The 

 jak-fruit is a familiar object in the 

 moist low-country of Ceylon. The pulp 

 forms an important article of food with 

 the natives, whilst Europeans also relish 

 it when cooked in curries. When ripe 

 the whole fruit has an overpowering 

 odour, and, untortunately, the stronger 

 the smell, the better the quality of the 

 fruit; to those who relish the latter, how- 

 ever, the odour is not objectionable. 

 The edible pulp which fills the interior 

 consists of a solid mass of white or 

 cream-coloured flakey substance, which 



