Fruit
Artocarpus altilis
S tier
Artocarpus altilis is breadfruit—the massive seeded or seedless syncarp of a Pacific-domesticated Moraceae tree, with pale starchy flesh that roasts and boils like a potato-bread hybrid. Skin is green, patterned with hexagonal segments; latex can weep from cuts. Seedless Pacific clones dominate staple cuisine; seeded relatives appear in some regions. Harvest mature-green for savoury roasting, chips, and stews; fully ripe fruit sweetens toward dessert use. Never treat under-mature fruit as ready—texture stays hard and latex-heavy. Traditional pit cooking, modern air-frying, and gluten-free flour projects all use the starch. Propagate by root shoots; named cultivars define island foodways.
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History
Breadfruit domestication pathways in Near Oceania produced seedless staple clones.
Polynesian voyaging spread Artocarpus altilis across the Pacific islands.
British transplant attempts (Bligh) sought breadfruit as a Caribbean plantation staple food.
Global interest in breadfruit for food security and gluten-free starch revived cultivar collections.