5 ways to eat bizarre new 'miracle' food

The_Stir

I've always wondered how it went down the first time a human being tried a strange plant he caught sight of: "Hey, this ... let's call it an artichoke ... looks like it would be great fried up over the fire with some of that liquid we've been squeezing out of that lady cow and stirring until it becomes solid." Seeing as how most foods have already been "discovered," it's all the more exciting that the breadfruit is coming onto the food scene.

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Native to the Pacific Islands and the Caribbean, apparently breadfruit is so rich in nutrients and plentiful, it could end world hunger or at least cut down on Hawaii's food imports by 90 percent -- if only everyone would eat the reportedly "bland" food. Apparently breadfruit, or "ulu," tastes like undercooked potatoes and people in Hawaii feed it to the pigs.

To which I say, come on folks, use your imagination! Here's how you should be cooking up the ulu.

1. Mashed Breadfruit With Cream Cheese & Chives

Skin the breadfruit, cut into chunks, and boil. When it softens, add butter, milk, cream cheese, and chives and mash. Voila! It's your new Thanksgiving side dish.

2. Breadfruit Nachos

The conventional wisdom is breadfruit tastes best while disguised, So cut it into strips, fry up the strips, then add black beans, cheese, tomatoes, and jalapeno peppers. YUM.

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3. Breadfruit Fries

You can deep fry anything and it tastes good. Add some sea salt, and you'll get your daily intake of potassium, calcium, and copper along with some crunchy goodness.

4. Breadfruit Tart

In a recipe contest, one entrant admits you can't taste the breadfruit in this tart, but still, it's a tasty tart. The winning ingredients: two cups cooked breadfruit, one cup fresh coconut milk, Lehua honey, macadamia nut crust.

5. Breadfruit Salad

Make your regular tasty salad and use a peeler to shred pieces of breadfruit on top of it. Bam! You've got the nutritional value in tiny bites.

Would you try breadfruit?


Image via bluesmoon/Flickr

Written by April Peveteaux for CafeMom's blog, The Stir.

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