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seatangle t1_j773zez wrote

I’m from Guam and breadfruit was an indigenous staple carbohydrate before modern rice was introduced to the island from Asia. I didn’t realize people also ate it in the Caribbean until I was in my 20s living in a Carribean neighborhood in Brooklyn, which is when I learned about this history. It was a nice reminder of home to be able to have breadfruit in NY.

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themitchapalooza t1_j78ktp1 wrote

Currently living in Mangilao. Hafa Adai!!!

But yeah, a single breadfruit tree could support more than a family. I can’t go through all the breadfruit in my yard. Makes great knockoff bbq in the slow cooker with bbq sauce, same taste and texture of pulled pork

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HookersAreTrueLove t1_j75unmz wrote

I like breadfruit. It's kind of like a mix between winter squash and potato.

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sd_slate t1_j76a4t9 wrote

If you ripen it until it's brown it becomes like a fragrant slightly banana flavored custard

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Motor_Assumption_290 t1_j76r6s9 wrote

Is that known as “bletting” for breadfruit?

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Hellspawn54 t1_j78syvp wrote

Possibly. I've only ever seen the word used in relation to medlars, which involves the same thing - letting the fruit go overripe and soft. Would like to try breadfruit.

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[deleted] t1_j768han wrote

[deleted]

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xfjqvyks t1_j76gphw wrote

My favourite part is that the reason the crew was pissed in the 1st place, is because they were being taken away from the beautiful Tahitian locals, who were much less sexually conservative, and would have sex in exchange for iron. To the point that ships were said to become structurally unstable because crew members were digging nails and fixings out of the ships frame to have iron to barter with. Sailing away from this rum soaked, beauty filled paradise to go and toil in squalid conditions and eat hardtack, turned the whole crew of the Bounty into a giant powder keg lol

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bogeyed5 t1_j77047h wrote

Now I can understand why Dutch and Arthur HAVE to get to Tahiti

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KentuckyFriedEel t1_j77ln1c wrote

Could you imagine seeing only puffy- dressed women your entire life, and then you come to this beautiful paradise where women wear much less (because it’s so hot) and they’re suntanned, hairless and without christian conservative values so they do (ahem) … “other stuff?” Because I can!

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jdb888 t1_j78l2qx wrote

Then post mutiny they took a few beauties to their remote island and promptly engaged in an orgy of murder over the beauties.

Bligh was a skilled navigator and a Capt Cook alum. I'm sure he was a hardass but the man knew the sea.

The Bligh Waters in northern Viti Levu, Fiji are named for him.

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xfjqvyks t1_j78rz7q wrote

So we are in agreement, Tahitian women are in fact sirens

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[deleted] t1_j78tnl6 wrote

[deleted]

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xfjqvyks t1_j78vi5c wrote

See now, that’s just how they snare you. One minute you’re professing how immune you are to the charms, next minute you’re on the open seas committing multiple types of high treason

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BanjoMothman t1_j76o0zl wrote

Well, yeah. Lots of money to be made.

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tuffgrrrrl t1_j76tnum wrote

Exactly it was purely about money, supply and demand thats it. Not actually about tea. If the British had no money to pay for sugar then noone would have cared to supply it.

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MyNameIsIgglePiggle t1_j76hkzx wrote

This same dude tried to take away rum in Australia, so on the 26th of January 1808 we got on the piss and pulled him out from under his bed, exiling him and overthrowing the then Australian government.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rum_Rebellion

Our first and only military coup

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feochampas t1_j78g92k wrote

I didnt know Cpt Bligh had two mutinies and a rebellion under his belt.

at some point, he has to be the problem

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RealVenom_ t1_j78tb6p wrote

I think it's more a point of he was a hard but fair leader. Half the ship left with him during the mutiny, almost certain death, but they went with him anyway. Needless to say he somehow managed to overcome those ridiculous odds.

The rebellion was in the face of wild corruption, the "hiding under the bed" thing was very much a myth, there is no actual proof of that. It was likely a story made up in the moment to destroy his reputation, but nothing about his character and experiences hints that he would have done that.

It was hard times back then, he was a loyal servant to the motherland and didn't compromise his ethics throughout his storied career. Gotta respect that.

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infpTrojan t1_j793ngp wrote

Bligh’s journey after the mutiny is one of those incredible stories that’s almost impossible to believe. The Siege of Antioch during the First Crusade is another.

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sharksnut t1_j7949ua wrote

Or Shackleton to South Georgia

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infpTrojan t1_j7ahxr0 wrote

That too. Absolutely. I still want to go to South Georgia someday and see the museum and his grave there.

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zootayman t1_j7dx1rd wrote

his taking a small open boat after the mutiny all that distance to Batavia was one of the most epic achievements of seamanship

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roguetrick t1_j77wqhi wrote

Sounds like he disrupted a gang of british army crooks, but those crooks were the only people with guns. Bad move.

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culingerai t1_j78av6u wrote

Yeah he basically tried to take down corruption and greedy business intetests but copped a shelacking for it. To this day we are still fighting it.

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MyNameIsIgglePiggle t1_j78iahj wrote

You are right, but I think what's in your head is way more formal than what went down.

According to Rum: a distilled history of colonial Australia

https://www.amazon.com.au/Rum-Distilled-History-Colonial-Australia/dp/1460759427?ref=d6k_applink_bb_dls&dplnkId=705a0906-9c38-43a7-9c5a-00dcc982e27e

It sounds like it was a pretty rag-tag group of "soliders" that were so drunk they had trouble stumbling up the hill to arrest him

It was definitely organised by a cartel though who had strong financial motivation to keep rum flowing in the colony

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exorcyst t1_j7995qw wrote

WTF I had no clue.. he didn't do well in his trial for mutiny iirc, he was brutal to his crew. The guy escaped mob rule death a few times apparently. Pure survivor though his 6500km journey in a banished skiff is incredible and likely never replicated. Very interesting character of history. Guys like him will never me made again. A mutant never considered for mass production

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encreturquoise t1_j765nxy wrote

I’ve eaten breadfruit gratin in Mauritius, it’s really good

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canadianpastafarian t1_j779c44 wrote

I tried breadfruit while on Pitcairn. Delicious. I would eat it more often if I could.

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Hero_Doses t1_j77tjo7 wrote

The fact that you've even been on Pitcairn is wild!

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canadianpastafarian t1_j77trdw wrote

I don't mean this as a flex, but I have been there twice. I used to be a cook on tall ships and we sailed to Pitcairn on both trips I was on. The boats are Called Pacific Swift and Pacific Grace.

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Brad_Wesley t1_j7gal2s wrote

How was it? I'd like to go.

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canadianpastafarian t1_j7gbwe6 wrote

Amazing - an experience of a lifetime. The Pitcairn people are so kind and fun. They are the best reason to go to Pitcairn. But snorkeling the Bounty and hiking the island are also incredible.

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ijmacd t1_j75vej4 wrote

The movies are good, but I prefer the Marlon Brando one to the Mel Gibson one. I can't vouch for the historical accuracy of either one though.

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baxterhugger t1_j75zs22 wrote

Gibson's is by far the more historicaly accurate

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Obelix13 t1_j763y1j wrote

The Anthony Hopkins is even better. The Liam Neeson version though is forgettable.

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exorcyst t1_j799wfx wrote

Has no one seen the 1935 version with Clarke Gable? The 60s one with Brando spends way too much time on romance.

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tuffgrrrrl t1_j76tgoe wrote

Yeah when you go to any Caribbean museum, botanical garden, or any other cultural thing having to do with nature they always tell the story of Capitan Bligh and they have plaques about him in various places.

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luxtabula t1_j77gkff wrote

I was born in Jamaica, and have been back several times to visit family.

A lot of people don't know that Jamaica has tons of plants not native to the island due to it having a tropical biome closest to the UK. As a result, you can find plants there that would be located on the other side of the planet.

Breadfruit is a common delicacy in Jamaica. Usually is eaten for breakfast and fried. It has an almost potato like quality to it.

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gomurifle t1_j77swq0 wrote

Delicacy is a strong word. Lol. It's like bread to me because I prefer it roasted then fried.

It's definitely a good alternative for gluten intolerant people.

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Hero_Doses t1_j77voow wrote

People that know this story know it from the movies, but the tangential stories are amazing as well.

  1. While being bad at discipline (with 2 uprisings against him), Bligh was still an amazing leader and mariner. Even though the mutineers dumped him and about 8 others in a lifeboat in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, Bligh managed to make it all the way to Jakarta to report the mutiny, losing only one man to a hostile islander along the way.

This would be near impossible today, let alone ~200 years ago.

  1. After the mutiny, Fletcher Christian and the other mutineers found Pitcairn Island and hid there, knowing it would be hard for the British Navy to find them.

The island was rocked multiple times by racial violence, often spurred by sexual intrigue and alcoholism, after one of the mutineers learned to make alcohol from a native plant on Pitcairn.

Interestingly, most of the women seemed to be devoted to their English husbands, avenging their deaths when they were killed by some Tahitian men who had been brought along as slave laborers.

One Englishman, Ned Young, slept through the mutiny AND possibly also the massacre of the English.

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ISLAndBreezESTeve10 t1_j786cbv wrote

Ole Ned “whiskey is my best friend” Young. He could sleep through cannon fire.

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Hero_Doses t1_j78fafk wrote

To be fair, whiskey makes me sleepy too 🤣🤣🤣

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TheRevererdWilliams t1_j787ivv wrote

When my daughter was born we identified her mother's place of birth as PI for the Philippines. Daughter just turned 26 and about a month ago I noticed her birth certificate states mother's place of birth as Pitcairn Island. That is going to mess up a future genealogist.

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Hero_Doses t1_j78f5z1 wrote

Thats hilarious! Although to be fair, historians are amazingly good at spotting inconsistencies, so they will probably approach with skepticism 😁

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Hero_Doses t1_j78fgl2 wrote

Also, if anyone's interested, I made a whole video about Ned Young. You can find it at r/FunSizeHistory 😁

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snowflakesevrywhere t1_j77ui7r wrote

I was at the Greenwich Maritime museum last week they have a section* on Bligh which explains this very thing.

*of their Pacific exhibition room from which my main takeaway was how astonishing the Island peoples' feats of navigation were - they basically memorised the current flows for various islands, prevailing winds, constellations etc. before they even set out. This knowledge was passed down by word of mouth for generation after generation and they used it to cross thousands of miles of ocean safely on boats held together with twine(no iron avaliable). Massive tangent there but it really blew me away.
I recommend visiting the museum if you have the chance, it's even free entry.

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KeberUggles t1_j7890yv wrote

i don't get how they successfully achieved this. The game of 'telephone' never works!

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ihaveredhaironmyhead t1_j78ajko wrote

Bligh was unfairly maligned. His crew mutinied, but only because they wanted to keep having orgies with Tahitian sex slaves and Bligh wanted to keep to the mission. He was set adrift with a dozen loyalists and saved all of their lives by navigating thousands of miles with nothing but a compass on a fucking life boat. One of the most impressive feats of human sea faring ever. Stupid Mel Gibson

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theboa_fromgoa t1_j77il0f wrote

I like to eat breadfruit and I also like to listen to it.

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mack272 t1_j77ooj8 wrote

Would that be Canarsie?

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coldwatereater t1_j77tmd4 wrote

I miss eating breadfruit. Any way to purchase it here in USA?

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flavortown_express t1_j77xzc4 wrote

Breadfruit tostones are ridiculously good

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richvide0 t1_j7919b2 wrote

Oh God yes. With mayo-ketchup mmm.

We have have a breadfruit tree (we call it pana in Puerto Rico) but the damn thing hardly produces any fruit and when it does it's too high to harvest. Then I drive down the street and I see a tree teaming with them.

I was told to hit a rusty nail into the tree to help it produce. I did it. Haven't seen any results so far.

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flavortown_express t1_j7a6s4d wrote

Well I wish you luck with your tree. San Juan is the only place I’ve had the tostones de pana. I’d never heard of them before even coming from a Puerto Rican family growing up in Miami. They’re out of this world

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degobrah t1_j78oqqa wrote

I lived in St. Vincent and the Grenadines for 2 years. At the botanical gardens they is a breadfruit tree that is a direct descendant of one of the first breadfruit tree Capt. Bligh brought to the island. But then, I suppose they all are. Anyway. Breadfruit is delicious

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one_salty_cookie t1_j78zvzf wrote

On Tobago, I've had it roasted and it is pretty bland. I think it would be better fried with some spices added. Nonetheless, I can see how it is a valuable starch for the diet.

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naughtabot t1_j797bex wrote

Anyone ever tried Mutiny vodka? It’s made from breadfruit, it’s super good, and gluten free! Cheap too.

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zootayman t1_j7dwnz3 wrote

it was a subsequent to the Bounty that finally delivered them and then the slaves they were to feed didnt like eating them

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