After our look last month at the various species of Polynesian bananas, let's take a look this time at the breadfruit, the Uru, this "miracle" of nature according to 18th century nutritionists, who compared it to the potato. The great explorers and their botanists (especially young Joseph Banks who accompanied Captain Cook) understood that the great Ocean's inhabitants' survival rested in three words: fish, coconut and uru (breadfruit), which for centuries has been providing many services...

 

 HISTORY: 
It was the "Bounty's" episode that really gave fame to this plant all over the world. Let's indeed remember that the Bounty was put under Captain Bligh's command to bring uru from Tahiti under the initiative of  "Sir"  Joseph Banks, the same man who accompanied Cook, but who in the meantime had become the President of the London Royal Society! One thousands tree shoots were loaded in Tahiti aboard the Bounty, to be brought to Jamaica with the idea of planting them there to feed the slaves in the plantations. But someone called Fletcher Christian contributed to turn this project into the most famous mutiny of sailing history. After these events, Captain Bligh still returned to Tahiti in 1792, aboard the "Providence", to complete his mission. Unfortunately, the uru didn't do too well in Jamaica, furthermore the plantations slaves strongly refused to eat it as they hated this new taste that was foreign to them! All this for nothing! 

 

 ALL PURPOSE TREE: 
The uru is rich in vitamins and is very energetic. The tree itself has always been thoroughly used for its sap that was used to caulk the canoes. Bark from the uru is one of the Ma’ohi's favorites to make tapa. The trunk was used to make canoes and even the large and strong leaves had many uses. The trunk, leaves and the fruit of the uru are still used today to make a whole range of traditional mediicines.

- ORIGIN: It is in Malaysia and India that the breadfruit tree was first discovered. Introduced in the Pacific Islands during the migrations thousands of years ago, the uru has since those days been the basis of Ma’ohifood.

- AMAZING: Oenologist (Wine Specialists) serve uru fries between each wine tasted. The neutrality of the uru taste makes it possible to better perceive the richness of a wine's quality.

- COOKING:  The uru is at its best when cooked over a wood fire. When the skin is all black, you remove the starchy inside and beat it into a paste that is left to ferment for a few days. It can also be cooked in the Tahitian oven (ahima'a), just like bread, but it is also eaten as a side dish like potatoes of fries.

 

 Varieties:
There are over 40 varieties of uru, the best known are:

• Uru Ma'ohi, the most common species in the islands, with white pulp,

• Uru Huero, with green skin,

• Uru Puero, with yellow skin, the most appreciated as its pulp is very sought for,

• Uru Maire, smaller, looking like a fruit with light yellow pulp,

• Uru Rare Autia, A rare species, formerly reserved to nobility, with very refined pulp,

• Uru Paea, a species of larger size with straw yello pulp.

 

Uru can be eaten raw, but everybody prefers it cooked, especially with corned-beef and onions, one very old local recipes. Marquesans ferment it to prepare their famous popoi.

 

- Ingredients :

• 1 large uru,

• 2 slices of bacon (or lard),

• 1/2 l of milk, 20 g butter,

• bouquet garni, salt, peppr,

• 4 egg yolks,

• 60 g flour,

• 1 dose of yeast,

• 2 table spoon of vinegar.

 

- Preparation:

1• Peel the uru, slice it in two, then dice it.

2• Cook in water for 30 minutes with the bacon and half the bouquet garni.

3• Meanwhile, warm up the milk with the other half of the bouquet garni.

4• Drip dry the uru and mix it with the cooked milk while adding butter, salt and pepper.

5• Add the egg yolks, the vinegar and the yeast.

6• With the resulting paste, make balls and roll them in flour.

7• Fry in a deep fryer the same way as "pommes dauphine" potatoes.

8• Use your Dauphine fried uru to accompany any meat