Menu
Home
People
Places
Arts
History
Plants & Animals
Science
Life & Culture
Technology
Reference.org
Breadfruit
open-in-new
<p>Breadfruit (<i>Artocarpus altilis</i>) is a species of <a href="/facts/Flowering_plant/E5eGYIvY">flowering tree</a> in the <a href="/facts/Morus_(plant)/F2Kr7Lr5">mulberry</a> and <a href="/facts/Jackfruit/u1BYkNU0">jackfruit</a> family (<a href="/facts/Moraceae/nFn8SjK7">Moraceae</a>) believed to have been <a href="/facts/Selectively_bred/CAkkM2UG">selectively bred</a> in <a href="/facts/Polynesia/rVSckqmD">Polynesia</a> from the breadnut (<i><a href="/facts/Artocarpus_camansi/RJ9mod4E">Artocarpus camansi</a></i>). Breadfruit was spread into Oceania via the <a href="/facts/Austronesian_expansion/mMTl1M9J">Austronesian expansion</a> and to further tropical areas during the <a href="/facts/Colonial_Era/hhpHM721">Colonial Era</a>. British and French navigators introduced a few Polynesian seedless varieties to Caribbean islands during the late 18th century. Today it is grown in 90 countries throughout South and Southeast Asia, the Pacific Ocean, the Caribbean, Central America and Africa. Its name is derived from the texture of the moderately ripe fruit when cooked, similar to freshly baked bread and having a potato-like flavor. </p><p>The trees have been widely planted in tropical regions, including lowland Central America, northern South America, and the <a href="/facts/Caribbean/zRI9aMCh">Caribbean</a>. In addition to the fruit serving as a <a href="/facts/Staple_food/GNo3putV">staple food</a> in many cultures, the light, sturdy timber of breadfruit has been used for <a href="/facts/Outrigger/3RX2Bdzb">outriggers</a>, ships, and houses in the tropics. </p><p>Breadfruit is very closely related to <i>A. camansi</i> (breadnut or seeded breadfruit) of New Guinea, the <a href="/facts/Maluku_Islands/Bwucm34R">Maluku Islands</a>, and the <a href="/facts/Philippines/ARpmxXQV">Philippines</a>, <i><a href="/facts/Artocarpus_blancoi/4agkCq16">A. blancoi</a></i> (<i>tipolo</i> or <i>antipolo</i>) of the Philippines, and slightly more distantly to <i><a href="/facts/Artocarpus_mariannensis/cgAc1ns3">A. mariannensis</a></i> (<i>dugdug</i>) of <a href="/facts/Micronesia/xUf6LkMv">Micronesia</a>, all of which are sometimes also referred to as "breadfruit". It is also closely related to the <a href="/facts/Jackfruit/u1BYkNU0">jackfruit</a>. </p>