Hawaii isle fest shows breadfruit’s diversity

Steamed breadfruit in coconut milk, breadfruit paiai, breadfruit and beef stew, crisp chicken and breadfruit cakes, even greens with breadfruit salad dressing kept tummies well satisfied at "Breadfruit Festival Goes Bananas 2012," held Saturday at the Amy B.H. Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden in Captain Cook on Hawaii island.

The festival, in its second year, highlighted the growing, cultivating, eating and crafting of the ancient and culturally significant tree also known as ulu. "Hoo­ulu ka ulu" — revitalizing breadfruit — was the theme carried out in the day’s many activities.

Edible breadfruit was plentiful at the festival. At least a dozen men peeled steamed breadfruit and, using stone pounders on wood boards, pounded the ulu into poi. Before adding water to achieve the consistency of poi, breadfruit paiai was sampled around, little balls of smooth, flavorful breadfruit that could have passed for Italian gnocchi.

Shirley Kauhaihao explained the how-tos of picking breadfruit and when to use it before chef Sam Choy demonstrated breadfruit recipes, including a burnt sugar, fresh coconut milk and breadfruit treat.

A Micronesian family presented steamed, fermented breadfruit, reminiscent of mochi, explaining how breadfruit is fermented in a rock-and-leaf-lined pit, washed and then cooked, a method that keeps breadfruit preserved for years.

A cooking contest featured breadfruit in salads, curries, stews and appetizers; empanadas and a fruit tart were made with pastry that included breadfruit flour.

About 2,00 people attended the event, which was organized by a consortium of community organizations including the Hawaii Homegrown Food Network and the Breadfruit Institute of the National Tropical Botanical Garden.

Presentations by a variety of breadfruit experts, including researcher Diane Ragone of the Breadfruit Institute of the National Tropical Botanical Garden, covered the historical cultivation and future economic opportunities for breadfruit as a food crop.

Cultural practitioners demonstrated the making of kapa or cloth from the bark of the breadfruit tree, much like wauke or mulberry is processed for kapa. The wood of the breadfruit tree, once fashioned into canoes, was shaped into useful objects by woodcarvers. Breadfruit art was exhibited, and quilters demonstrated their craft on breadfruit designs.

Along with breadfruit, bananas were on display, many of them different from the common varieties cultivated and eaten, spotlighting the fact that bananas were another important food resource in old Hawaii.

Lei making, canoe displays, music, storytelling and keiki crafts rounded out the activities of the day.

As a resource for food and life, breadfruit was at the forefront, even if just for a day.