Breadfruit
(Artocarpus altilis)
Fijian: ulu

I found this tree on Mana Island, Fiji, and learnt that it is called ULU in Fijian, or Breadfruit. It is a fruit I have heard of but never seen it before. So I hope it is of interest to you too.

Pacific islanders eat the popular seasonal fruit overseas, especially in countries such as Australia, New Zealand and the United States.

Looking up on the Internet I learnt that the breadfruit, or ulu is a cook’s delight. The breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis), or ulu is nutritionally comparable to sweet potato and to taro. It is high in fibre and is one of the “better” carbohydrates. It is a good alternative to the white potato for those who are counting carbohydrates. When the ulu is (green) mature, it is high in starch. When the ulu is ripe, the starch turns to sugar making it sweet.

The ulu tree grows 40-60 feet tall. It has shiny dark, deeply lobed and the fruits can weigh up to 10 pounds. The ulu that is commonly found in Fiji bears fruit twice a year and it is seedless.

This fruit here must be an immature fruit, as its skin is very bumpy and the fruit is bright green. When picked, the immature ulu drips with white milky sap. The ulu is mature when the skin yellows and the milky sap begin to ooze though the skin. The bottom of the ulu may begin to brown but the stem will have white sap when picked.

www.ulucookbook.com/