As a person born and raised in the Caribbean, I was craving Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis) also known in Puerto Rico as Pana. I was dying to get my hands on one to make what we call in the Island of Puerto Rico "tostones de pana" or breadfruit fritters. I called my brother in law, who lived in Chicago for many years, to inquire where I could find this exotic delicacy in the Chicago land area and he suggested some produce stores but to my disappointment, they didn't carry Breadfruit.
I searched online in the yellow pages and found a store called Armitage Produce and was delighted to hear that they do carry this tropical delicious treat. So there I was on my way to Chicago from the North West Suburbs excited to finally be able to get Breadfruit 2056 miles away from my homeland. As I walked through the produce isles, I also got my eyes fixed on Passion Fruit, which I had never been able to find here before. Thank you Armitage Produce from Chicago for importing goods from Puerto Rico so that we can enjoy in the Chicago land area!
For those of you who would like to try Breadfruit, here are a few ways that you can cook it. In Puerto Rico, it is traditionally served boiled with unsalted codfish. It is also made into mashed breadfruit balls filled with meat (rellenos de pana), double fried breadfruit (tostones), mofongo or even our tropical version of breadfruit lasagna. How about a sweet breadfruit custard for dessert? It is simply delicious! I'd be glad to send you the recipes, upon request. Enjoy!
