Breadfruit by Russell Fielding

Breadfruit by Russell Fielding

Honorable Mention, 2026 Gordon K. and Sybil Lewis Book Award, Caribbean Studies Association

Shortlist, 2026 James Beard Media Award in Reference, History, and Scholarship

Breadfruit trees are staples of the tropics, bearing cantaloupe-sized green-skinned fruits whose taste and texture resemble potatoes. More than three thousand years ago, breadfruit fueled the Pacific voyages of discovery that settled islands throughout Oceania. In the late eighteenth century, the British expedition that ended with the mutiny on the Bounty aimed, but failed, to introduce breadfruit to the West Indies as food for enslaved African laborers on sugar plantations. A later voyage resulted in the fruit’s widespread distribution and complicated role within modern Caribbean food cultures. In recent years, breadfruit has been touted as a tool for sustainable development and as a “superfood” with both health benefits and culinary versatility.

Russell Fielding tells these stories and many others, exploring breadfruit’s fascinating global history and varied present-day uses. Bringing together extensive research and vivid travelogues, including learning directly from local agriculturists, chefs, scientists, and holders of traditional knowledge, he provides an immersive narrative of breadfruit’s contributions. Fielding argues that breadfruit’s history comprises two journeys: first, from its origins in Southeast Asia across the Pacific; and second, its transplantation to the Caribbean. Today, a third journey is taking place, one that is spreading breadfruit throughout the world.

Engagingly written and compellingly argued, this book draws timely lessons from breadfruit’s past to forecast its future potential.

Russell Fielding is prophetic in identifying breadfruit’s potential for improving food security for our worldHere on the small Pacific Island of Guam, we have embraced these strategies on breadfruit in our struggle for greater self-sufficiency. -- Robert Bevacqua, University of Guam

Russell Fielding is an associate professor in the HTC Honors College and the Spadoni College of Education and Social Sciences at Coastal Carolina University. He is a geographer who studies sustainable food systems in the world’s coastal and island settings. Fielding is the author of The Wake of the Whale: Hunter Societies in the Caribbean and North Atlantic (2018).

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780231219082
ISBN 10	0231219083
Title	Breadfruit
Author	Russell Fielding
Series	Arts And Traditions Of The Table: Perspectives On Culinary History
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Columbia University Press
Year published	2025-11-04
Number of pages	320
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.