National Dish St Vincent and the Grenadines: Roasted Breadfruit (Recipe)
In this article
Roasted Breadfruit is the national dish of St Vincent, and there is a specific reason: Captain Bligh landed the first breadfruit trees in the Americas at Kingstown in 1793, after the mutiny that stopped his first attempt. One of those original trees is still alive in the botanic gardens.
About Roasted Breadfruit
Breadfruit is roasted whole over an open fire until the skin blackens, or cut and baked. The flesh comes out somewhere between bread and potato, and it is eaten with saltfish, or jackfish, or simply with butter.
The national dish, properly, is roasted breadfruit and fried jackfish.
Ingredients (serves 1–2)
- 2 large breadfruit
- Olive oil or coconut oil, to taste
- Salt and pepper
- Fresh herbs (thyme or rosemary, for example)
- Optional: spices such as paprika or cayenne pepper
Shopping for the ingredients
Mature but firm, not ripe. A ripe breadfruit is soft, sweet and good for puddings but useless roasted. Sold fresh in Caribbean grocers and frozen elsewhere. Coconut oil is the more appropriate fat.
Preparing the dish
Cut out the core, which is tough and inedible. Oil your knife, since the sap is sticky. Cut the pieces evenly so they cook at the same rate, and do not cut them too thin or they dry out.
Step-by-step instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200°C.
- Peel the breadfruit, cut out the core and slice into even wedges.
- Put the pieces into a large bowl.
- Add olive oil or coconut oil and toss well until every piece is evenly coated.
- Season with salt, pepper and any optional spices.
- Spread the breadfruit out in a single layer on a baking tray.
- Roast for around 30–40 minutes, turning once, until golden brown and crisp at the edges.
- Garnish with fresh herbs before serving.
Gluten-free / lactose-free version
Breadfruit contains no gluten and no dairy. Roasted with oil and salt it is naturally suitable for both.
Tips for vegans and vegetarians
Roasted breadfruit is vegan as written and functions as a staple rather than a side. With coconut oil, thyme and a good pepper sauce it is a plate on its own. Breadfruit soup is the other treatment.
More tips and tricks
Use it unripe. Oil the knife against the sap. Roast it hot enough to colour properly. And if you have a fire, roast it whole in the embers until the skin is black, which is the traditional method and better than the oven.
Adapting the recipe to your taste
Whole roasting over a fire is the real thing. Coconut oil and thyme are the local seasoning. Breadfruit fritters use the leftovers.
Ingredient substitutions
Green plantain or cassava roast similarly. Frozen breadfruit is a reasonable shortcut. Sweet potato is not the same thing.
Drink pairing ideas
Ginger beer, homemade and hot. Passion fruit juice. Hairoun, the local lager.
Serving and presentation ideas
Serve it hot with fried jackfish, saltfish or a pepper sauce. Butter melting into it is the simplest version and hard to improve on. It goes on the plate as the starch, not as a side.
A bit of history
Bligh’s breadfruit voyages were commissioned to find cheap food for enslaved people on Caribbean plantations. The first attempt ended in the mutiny on the Bounty; the second succeeded, and the trees landed at St Vincent in 1793. Enslaved people initially refused to eat it. It is now the national dish and anchors Vincentian cuisine.
More recipe ideas
- Breadfruit Fritters
- Breadfruit Soup
- Caribbean Potato Salad
- Fried Plantain Chips
- Grilled Lobster with Lime Butter
- Mango Chutney
Summary: Roasted Breadfruit
Roasted breadfruit is mature breadfruit cut, oiled and roasted until golden. Use it unripe, oil the knife, roast it hot, and serve it with fried fish.
