National Dish Marshall Islands: Roasted Breadfruit (Recipe)
In this article
Roasted Breadfruit is what a breadfruit tree does for you: one mature tree produces several hundred fruit a year, each the size of a football, and roasting is the simplest way to eat them. The flesh comes out somewhere between bread and potato.
About Roasted Breadfruit
The Marshall Islands are 29 low coral atolls with almost no soil. Breadfruit, coconut, pandanus and fish are what grow and swim there. Breadfruit is roasted whole in embers, or cut and baked, and eaten as the starch of the meal.
The fruit must be mature but not ripe. Ripe breadfruit turns sweet and soft and is used for desserts instead.
Ingredients (serves 1–2)
- 1 ripe breadfruit
- Olive oil or coconut oil
- Salt
- Pepper
- Optional: garlic and spices of your choice
Shopping for the ingredients
Breadfruit is sold fresh in Caribbean, African and Asian grocers and frozen more widely. It should be firm and green with a little give, not soft. Coconut oil is the more appropriate fat and the one actually used.
Preparing the dish
Cut out the core, which is tough. Peel it if you are cutting it into pieces, or leave the skin on if roasting whole. The sap is sticky, so oil your knife and hands. Cut the pieces evenly so they cook at the same rate.
Step-by-step instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200°C.
- Cut the breadfruit into even pieces and place them in a bowl.
- Add olive or coconut oil, salt, pepper and, if you like, garlic and spices.
- Toss everything well so each piece is evenly coated.
- Lay the breadfruit pieces on a baking tray lined with baking paper.
- Roast the breadfruit in the oven for around 25–30 minutes, until golden brown and tender.
- Serve the roasted breadfruit warm and enjoy it as a classic side or as a main course.
Gluten-free / lactose-free version
Breadfruit is a fruit and contains no gluten or dairy. Roasted with oil and salt it is suitable for both restrictions without any change.
Tips for vegans and vegetarians
Roasted breadfruit is vegan as written and is a staple rather than a side across the Pacific. Served with coconut cream and greens it is a full plate.
More tips and tricks
Use a mature but unripe fruit. Ripe breadfruit collapses into sweetness and will not roast into anything savoury. Oil your knife before cutting, because the sap glues everything. And roast it hot enough to colour; pale breadfruit is bland.
Adapting the recipe to your taste
Whole roasting in embers until the skin blackens is the traditional method and gives a smoky result nothing else matches. Coconut cream poured over is standard. Chilli and lime work well.
Ingredient substitutions
Green plantain or cassava roast similarly. Frozen breadfruit is a reasonable shortcut. Sweet potato is not the same thing but fills the same slot.
Drink pairing ideas
Fresh coconut water, of which there is plenty. Jekaro, the coconut sap drink, is the local traditional one. Water otherwise.
Serving and presentation ideas
Serve it warm alongside grilled fish and coconut cream, or on its own with salt. In the Marshall Islands it is often the main starch of the meal rather than an accompaniment.
A bit of history
Breadfruit was carried across the Pacific by Austronesian voyagers and is one of the crops that made atoll settlement possible. The Marshall Islands were used for US nuclear testing between 1946 and 1958, which displaced communities and contaminated land, and food security remains a live issue. It anchors Marshallese cuisine.
More recipe ideas
Summary: Roasted Breadfruit
Roasted breadfruit is mature breadfruit cut, oiled, salted and roasted until golden. Use it unripe, oil the knife against the sap, and roast it hot enough to colour.
