Breadnut plant (Artocarpus camansi) Blanko
Size : 8"-12" inches size
 
Artocarpus camansi, the breadnut, is a species of medium-sized tree in the family Moraceae.It is native to New Guinea, the Maluku Islands, and the Philippines. It is the wild ancestor of the breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis) and is also sometimes known as the seeded breadfruit, to distinguish it from its mostly seedless descendant. Breadnut fruits are edible when cooked. The large seeds can also be roasted and eaten.


Distribution and origins

Artocarpus camansi is likely endemic to New Guinea, the Maluku Islands, and the Philippines.[2] The ambiguity of the origins of this plant is a result of spread and domestication of multiple species of breadfruit, Artocarpus camansi included, as Austronesian sailors spread from island to island in the Pacific. The breadfruit, Artocarpus altilis, is believed to be a domesticated descendant of Artocarpus camansi which have been selectively bred by Polynesians to be predominantly seedless.


Food and economic value

Artocarpus camansi is described as having "high nutritive value but it is an under-utilised food source". Although not as commonly eaten as the breadfruit, it is an important crop in New Guinea, where the breadnut is a staple crop. Usually the fruit is consumed when it is immature; thinly sliced pieces are boiled in soups. In the Philippines (along with the related breadfruit, jackfruit, and antipolo) it is commonly cooked with coconut milk and spices and eaten as ginataang kamansi. In South Asia and the Caribbean it is curried and eaten. The seeds are also of economic value in the Caribbean, Central and South America because they taste like chestnuts. As a result, the seeds can be roasted, boiled, canned, or processed into paste, butter, flour or oil.