Tuesday, September 11, 2007
More about Breadfruit
The breadfruit we bought from the vendor (the woman who said people in convents ate it) was delicious!
Off the web I pulled a recipe for MIGAN DE FRUIT A PAIN and gave it to my cook, André. He seemed a bit skeptical, but went along cheerfully, as always.
We ate it several times over the weekend and still have a lot leftover... one breadfruit is a lot for two people.
On Monday, André told me he's never eaten it this way, but he will now. He likes migan. He doesn't have a tree, but a neighbor of his does.
And he, also, said that "on mange ça dans les couvents" and added that it prevents diabetes, that's why religious people eat it.
I'm not sure whether the link is that religious people are more prone to diabetes, or that they are more likely to choose healthy foods, but that's a property of breadfruit I wasn't aware of.
So, googling a bit, I find that natives of French Polynesia, who once lived almost exclusively on breadfruit (which they fermented, in which state it could keep for years), but now rarely eat it, now have very high rates of diabetes. That breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis moraceae) contains anti-inflammatory ingredients and lots of magnesium and potassium. That breadfruit does not grow from a seed but has to be planted from a cutting - prehistoric hybrid?
I really don't get why people here don't eat it, with 70% malnutrition.
The National Tropical Botanical Garden in Hawaii has a Breadfruit Institute, see http://ntbg.org/breadfruit/ for more information than you ever wanted to know.
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4 comments:
Are you saying that they have abundant breadfruit there, but don't eat it because of some societal mores?
I haven't heard any kind of taboo against it. People just don't know. They'll say, oh yes, I heard that was edible. The knowledge may have been here a few generations ago. Lifespans are short here, and the wars have destroyed not only the infrastructure but the human knowledge wealth.
I wonder if this might not be happening in Martinique, even without a war. There's a backlash against everything that was "slave food." In a couple of generations, knowledge will be lost. Last time I went to Martinique I tried pretty hard to get seeds for the "Soupe au Calalou" plants, went to 2 nurseries where the Martinican staff did not know what I was talking about - let alone have the plants. They want to eat like in France, even if local food is dropping from the trees. Literally!
The people are starving... the food is there... but they don't know about it... hmmm... sounds like a well planned "advertising campaign" in favor of breadfruit could do wonders.
How does word get around over there? I assume most people don't have TVs... word of mouth I suppose?
What do the children at the orphanage eat?
Yep, that's one of my "missions" here. Every time I invite any Congolese person over, I serve them breadfruit chips as appetizer and another breadfruit dish with the meal. I'll also do it if I ever invite USAID people who are supposed to know about tropical agriculture. The ones I've talked to didn't seem all that enthusiastic.
My staff has already changed their mind about it! They especially like the chips. Hmm.. guess I'll have to write a blog about today's lunch!
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