Sesel Sa! January - March 2015 Jan - March 2015 | Page 41

Photographs by Dominic Elizabeth

The Legendary

BREADFRUIT
By Alexandria Faure & Chef Antoine Simeon

T
ES

ING FACT

INT

E

The
breadfruit
prevented starvation in
the colony, so much so that the
Governor Charles Richard Mackey
O’Brien enacted an ordinance for
the protection of the Breadfruit Tree
known as ‘The Breadfruit And Other Trees
Protection Ordinance, 1917’. This act has
prevented many breadfruit trees from
being cut down and in 1985 led to
a breadfruit plantation being
cultivated at
La Gogue.

R

Fallen in love with the Seychelles? If it’s a yes then
you certainly aren’t the first and won’t be the last.
Want to come back? We have one question for
you…did you eat breadfruit?
Legend has it that people who eat breadfruit
always come back - typically stated every time
breadfruit is offered to tourists. Watch out for that
statement!
Breadfruit can be baked, boiled, fried, steamed,
microwaved, grilled and barbecued. Phew! It’s
a very versatile fruit. With a starchy texture and
a fragrance similar to fresh baked bread, the
breadfruit is an iconic and a traditional member
of the culinary culture here in Seychelles.
Traditionally, the breadfruit is eaten in many
different ways, from boiled to fried as chips
or cooked in coconut milk to make Ladob.
Resonating of the island lifestyle, it is also roasted
in an open fire with dried coconut husks until the
outside is charred black, and then opened into
two halves and eaten with a spoon, with butter
or margarine.
Having been obtained from the South Pacific

Islands by French Explorers, the breadfruit carries
with it a historical epic of sea voyages and was the
cause of what historians call ‘The Mutiny of the
Bounty’. The British botanists on the HMS Bounty
Vessel had observed the fruit in great detail - and
with fascination - the texture and the aroma after
baking was tender and white, just like a loaf of
bread.
The breadfruit trees can grow up to 50-60 feet
tall and can produce up to 100 fruits, three times
a year. As a versatile and nourishing fruit rich in
carbohydrates, the Breadfruit was once the staple
diet for inhabitants who worked hard on the
plantations back in the colonial era. It was a vital
fruit for survival when ships failed to arrive with
goods.
Turn the next pages and introduce the legendary
breadfruit to your homes and experience a new,
precious fruit that was so fundamental to life once
upon a time.
A Special thanks to the Seychelles National Archives,
Aselma Woodcock, Maria Léon & Tony Marie.

JAN - MAR 2015 ISSUE NO. 6 | SESEL SA!

37