Editorial | Breadfruit awareness

The versatile staple breadfruit, loved by so many Caribbean people, takes the spotlight this weekend as part of the Institute of Jamaica's Heritage Fest. The activities will certainly offer a cultural context for the origins of breadfruit and may encourage patrons to support sustainable, local agriculture.

It's been 225 years since Captain William Bligh of the HMS Bounty brought the breadfruit tree, from Tahiti in the South Pacific, to Jamaica. Over time, breadfruit has become so popular it is often regarded as excellent pairing with our unofficial national dish, ackee and salt fish. It is boiled, roasted and fried and used in other creative ways.

We note with interest also the news that the Manchester-based Northern Caribbean University (NCU) plans to manufacture breadfruit flour in the near future. This project, which has been long in the making, will be made possible by the institution's acquisition of some 1,000 acres of agricultural land in St Elizabeth.

When we introduce the effects of climate change on food production, such as more frequent and extreme weather events, into the discussion about future food demands, it becomes clear that decisive action has to be taken to meet these challenges. Questions about what foods to eat, how foods are produced, and new ways of producing foods are very important realities of households today.

Recognised as one of the highest-yielding plants, a breadfruit tree can produce up to 200 fruits in a year. As an added bonus, the tree does not require a lot of care. According to research conducted in Barbados, a hectare of land cultivated with breadfruit could yield 16 to 32 short tons of the fruit.

All the available research confirms breadfruit as an important food resource in terms of its nutritional value. It is 70 per cent water, 27 per cent carbohydrates, negligible in fat and cholesterol free, which makes it an excellent alternative to other calorie-laden foods found in our diets.

Apart from its food value, the breadfruit tree is exploited for other purposes. The use of the tree as timber is well established in Pacific countries where the wood is valued for construction purposes because of its light weight and resistance to pests. Another interesting aspect about the breadfruit tree is that the wood pulp can be used to make paper. Breadfruit is easy to grow and well adapted to our tropical climate.

FOCUS ON AWARENESS

Although the organisers likely intend that scores of people will attend to experience the delights of breadfruit, hopefully, this weekend's focus on the fruit will increase awareness of our food heritage. The talks and displays will hopefully reach way beyond this weekend by provoking the people into thinking more deeply about the nutritional value and economic potential of the breadfruit.

People's interest in food has spawned a number of local festivals from curry to mango, and many others in-between. As such, we recognise the strong link between food heritage and economic strategy. However, a food festival is but a small part of the mix. The farming, culinary skills and innovation are also important parts of the food chain taking the product from the farm to the table.

While we strive to preserve our heritage in food, we should ensure that other countries respect our traditions. We can think of Jamaican jerk as an example, where the indigenous method of cooking meat is now being applied to everything else, including rice, which triggered a row in the United Kingdom over cultural appropriation.