Haitian breadfruit flour, a growing enterprise
When I think of Haiti, the first fruit that comes to mind is the mango — and for good reason. Madame Francique (also referred to as Mango Francis or Madame Francis), Haiti’s most popular mango variety, is one of the best in the Caribbean and the sweetest in the world. Mango trees are everywhere in Haiti. During the rainy season in Haiti, it literally rains mangos.
Another tree that grows in abundance in Haiti is the breadfruit tree. The shelf-life of breadfruit is 1–3 days, compared to that of a mango which ranges from 10–30 days depending on the maturity of the fruit. Over the years, improvements have been made in the exportation of Haitian mangos and corporations like Whole Foods are providing support to Haitian farmers.
Unlike the mango, breadfruit cannot be exported in its fruit form. However, grounded into a flour state, breadfruit’s shelf life increases exponentially — from 1–3 days as a fruit to 2–3 years as flour.
Breadfruit flour or farin lam veritab in Haitian Kreyol, is gluten free, high in fiber and very nutritious. Best of all, this product is produced in Haiti. When I was in Haiti teaching at the University of the Nouvelle Grand’Anse (UNOGA), I was able to purchase breadfruit flour from Jeremie Breadfruit Flour, an enterprise of UNOGA students.
Initially, I thought I would just give the flour away to friends and family since I’m not much of a baker. However, I thought I would take a crack at making some baked goods. After scouring the internet for “breadfruit flour recipes,” I ended up baking Ziggy Marley’s Ragga-Muffin Muffins and Banana Cake — two recipes that didn’t require a lot of prep work or ingredients. Both required about one to one and a half cup of breadfruit flour and turned out very tasty. When the recipe called for eggs, I substituted with apple sauce.
Like the mango, I hope the Haitian breadfruit flour enterprise grows and more Haitian farmers have a chance to make a sustainable living.
