About this episode

The episode explores the history and potential of breadfruit as a gluten-free alternative in modern baking.

When exploring the islands of Tahiti with Captain James Cook, botanist Sir Joseph Banks identified a carbohydrate-rich tropical fruit that, when cooked over an open fire, tasted like freshly-baked bread. Banks recommended that King George III adopt this energy-rich breadfruit as a food staple for the English plantations of the Caribbean. During a subsequent voyage to transport breadfruit trees from Tahiti to the Caribbean, Captain William Bly lost his ship, the Bounty, to mutineers, who tossed the prescious breadfruit trees over the side, along with Captain Bly, and then they disappeared into the vast waters of the Pacific Ocean. Today, breadfruit is getting a fresh look by the culinary world as a gluten-free, high-fiber, and environmentally-friendly alternative to refined flours. In fact, researchers at the University of British Columbia claim breadfruit is poised to become the next global superfood. A former chemistry professor and her team have combined their efforts to continue the mission of bringing tropical breadfruit to the world via their Amasar line of breadfruit baking mixes. Their efforts lead us to ask: Are we ready for bread made from breadfruit?

Topics covered

• breadfruit
• culinary innovation
• superfoods
• historical exploration
• gluten-free alternatives

Keywords

• breadfruit
• superfood
• gluten-free
• baking mixes
• tropical fruit

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: University of British Columbia, Amasar

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