In brief
- Migan de fruit à pain is a spiced mash, simmered with smoked bacon and aromatics
- Origin: Martinique and Guadeloupe
- Essential ingredients: breadfruit, smoked bacon, onion, garlic, chilli
- A family dish, served as a side or as a main course
Origins and cultural history of migan de fruit à pain
Migan de fruit à pain is a dish from the French Caribbean, particularly associated with Martinique, where it is found for example in the town of Le Lamentin, and with Guadeloupe.
Breadfruit itself comes from Oceania: the tree was domesticated more than 3,000 years ago in the New Guinea region before spreading across the Pacific. It was introduced to the Caribbean at the end of the eighteenth century: in 1789, Captain William Bligh was given the task of transporting plants from Tahiti to feed enslaved people at low cost, a voyage remembered for the mutiny on the Bounty. The plants finally arrived in the English Caribbean in 1793, and over the course of the nineteenth century the breadfruit tree became a common crop on the islands, integrated into Creole cuisine.
What are the essential ingredients of migan de fruit à pain
Making migan de fruit à pain relies on a few essential ingredients found in most African and Caribbean grocery stores, including NKOSI.
- breadfruit
- smoked bacon, or desalted salt cod
- onion
- garlic
- spring onion
- thyme and bay leaf
- Caribbean chilli
What to know about breadfruit migan
Breadfruit migan is a seasoned purée, simmered with smoked bacon and aromatics: onion, garlic, chive, thyme, bay leaf and Antillean chili. Depending on the household, the smoked bacon is replaced by salt pork or desalted salt cod. Around Le Lamentin in Martinique, some recipes use giraumon, an Antillean squash, instead. It is a family dish from Martinique and Guadeloupe, served as a side or as a main course.
Frequently asked questions about migan de fruit à pain
Can migan de fruit à pain be made without meat?
Yes: some traditional recipes, particularly around Le Lamentin in Martinique, replace the smoked bacon with giraumon, a Caribbean squash, simmered with the same aromatics.
Which protein is traditionally used in migan?
Depending on the household, smoked bacon, salt pork or desalted cod is added: the base stays the same, a breadfruit mash seasoned with aromatics and chilli.
Where to find the ingredients for migan de fruit à pain in France?
NKOSI sells the thyme and bay leaves for this recipe on nkosiagro.com and ships them from the Paris area within 24 to 72 working hours, to mainland France (2 to 3 working days) and to ten European countries. The minimum order is 39 €: in France, delivery to a pickup point is then free, and home delivery is free from 69 €.
