Breadfruit Bonanza

Here is some breadfruit we found at one of

the many fruit stands in Hawaii. Picture by me!

I got married over the summer in July, which meant it was time for a honeymoon! Thanks to my husband's parents, we were lucky enough to visit Hawaii. I was incredibly excited, because of course, Hawaii meant new fruit to try! I'd never been to Hawaii before, so I was pretty impressed to find such a variety of tropical fruit.

While there, I found many varieties of mangoes (I tried 4 types!), gold and orange-skinned passion fruit (they call it lilikoi), soursop, jackfruit, surinam cherries, and even breadfruit! By far, breadfruit was the most interesting fruit I had in Hawaii. I'd been excited to try it, as it is a rare fruit frequently discussed among fruit hunters.

From the outside, breadfruit looks similar to soursop and jackfruit, though it is less spiky. They range in size, but the one I purchased was on the smaller side, about the size of a grapefruit. When cut and pulled apart, I was shocked to find the inner pit covered in hair-like strands. Though the fruit looked strange, I was ready to dig in.

This is a picture of the interior of the breadfruit I purchased. Half of it was not very ripe (the left side),

but the half on the right was nice and soft! Picture taken by Amy Prosser.

Grabbing a spoon, I scooped out the softest of the flesh. The fruit had the strangest texture in my mouth, like raw bread dough (I surmise this is how it's name was decided). It was sweet with a light tropical flavor, but the texture is clearly the reason to eat it. Dining on the gooey, dough-like fruit is truly a singular experience.

Here is that amazing breadfruit dessert! We experienced this magical creation

at Leilani's On the Beach in Kaanapali, Maui. Picture by Amy Prosser.

According to Wikipedia, breadfruit can also be cooked. During our stay, we never had any cooked, but we did once have an amazing passionfruit and breadfruit dessert. It was the best dessert we had while in Hawaii! It was like a cheesecake, but the breadfruit brought all the creaminess needed without any dairy needing to be added. The fruit was blended together and chilled with a sort of gram cracker crust. Oh how I wish I could go back and have that dessert again!

All in all, if you ever have the chance to try breadfruit, don't pass it up! My husband didn't like it (and I'm not sure how much of it I could have eaten by itself), yet I loved every minute of the experience.