Breadnut seeds vs. jackfruit seeds

[snhabegger]

Has anyone ever compared seeds of Artocarpus camansi (breadnut) with jackfruit seeds?  They look pretty similar, the trees are closely related, they're both eaten after boiling with salt, and my wife says not to waste my time with the former as she wants to plant jackfruit.  Is there any practical purpose in going to the trouble of searching out breadnut and devoting a bit of space to it? 

P.S. I just want to say that I must be going senile, I typed 'breadfruit' two times in this post and had to correct multiple spelling mistakes after posting.  Apparently growing old was an error.

[Mike T]

The seeds are not different enough to justify the breadnut really. Jackfruit seeds are great in curries where they go soft and are a starchy element. Boiled and eaten with salt is enjoyed by some.

[gunnar429]

seems like it would be better to grow the jacks, and maybe have a seedless breadfruit tree for eating, rather than breadnut.  FWIW, I haven't eaten breadnut, so what do I know.  Just my 2 cents

[fruitlovers]

The breadnut (here called camansi) seeds are a bit better than the jackfruit seeds in that they don't have that thick plasticy cello coating on exterior that is difficult to remove on the jack. So the breadnuts are easier to eat. Also the breadnuts are more productive than jackfruit.  But i still think Mike is right and it's better to just plant jackfruit, especially if you're limited for space, as you will get both seeds and great fuit pulp.
Jeff is right and it's better to plant seedless breadfruit than the breadnut.

[bangkok]

I have a breadfruittree in a pot. Breadfruit and breadnut tree's look very similar so i 'm not sure of what i have. I read somewhere i can graft marang on breadnut so that's what i will try.

Breadnut tree is much harder to find than breadfruit. Why don't you grow another artocarpus that sure tastes nice? There are loads of them and you won't find them in Thailand yet.

[snhabegger]

Thanks, everyone, for your input.  You've convinced me that a breadnut is something to plant on spare land, and not on the 1.5 acres around our house.  I still would like to grow one, but I guess you have to have priorities.  I am going to try and get ahold of a high-quality Polynesian breadfruit though, at some point . . . 

As for the fancy Artocarpus, those are really beyond my scope.  The thing about the entire genus is, I don't care THAT much for jackfruit, I can only eat it when it is at a particular stage of ripe-but-not-over-ripeness; and my wife and her family love it but don't care for breadfruit.  Since the more unusual ones can be a bit expensive, and might be ultratropicals as well, and would have to be grown on a spare plot where they'd be subject to attack by bird, rat, and villager, I'm not really at a stage yet of trying to collect them. 

[Camillo Alexis]

I prefer to eat Breadnut seeds, but if space is limited a Jackfruit might be better, I don't think Breadnut pulp is edible while the Jackfruit is , but the seeds boiled in salt is really tasty.

[fruitlovers]

I prefer to eat Breadnut seeds, but if space is limited a Jackfruit might be better, I don't think Breadnut pulp is edible while the Jackfruit is , but the seeds boiled in salt is really tasty.

Yes the breadnut pulp is edible. To eat whole it is picked at immature stage, before seeds have fully developed.