The p is for pana and Papitito

I'm craving some fried Pana, (breadfruit) with a tomato sauce to dip 'em in. Delicious. It is very starchy, so it can be boiled, broiled and baked; but as most starchy foods (like plantains) they taste better deepfried. After all, fats and starches go hand in hand in the kitchen. El almidón y la manteca son panas.

The most common variety in Puerto Rico is the seedless kind. There is also a seeded variety known as Pana de Pepita. Pana de Pepita's seeds are traditionally boiled, then pan fried a bit, and eaten. Its flatulence-producing properties are legendary, and this is why the seeds carry the nickname Rompe Matrimonios ("Marriage-breakers").

Pana skin is very hard, and peeling it is a very difficult task that should be left to experienced Dones or Doñas. Also, pana grows in trees that can be more than 60' tall, and the fruit itself can be the size of a small watermelon.


My greatgrandfather, Papitito, took care of his farm until he was 86 years old (85? his documents were contradictory about his age). One day he was walking around the farm and got hit on the head by a big pana from a very tall pana tree. He was never the same again, and at this early age had to retire from his farming hobby and focus solely on his sitting-at-the-porch hobby. He only lived until he was 99 years old (98?) after this. Who knows how long this blooming life would have lasted if he had taken the safety precautions of proper pana manipulation?


There are certain safety rules that should be followed around panas or pana-prone environments to make panas fun and safe:

1) Wear safety shoes. There isn't something worse than stepping on a rotten pana and falling down, or caerse como pana.

2) Wear safety goggles. A lot of mimes (fruitflies) live in these pana areas, and can enter your eyes. Blowing air constantly also keeps them out of your mouth and nose.

3) Inspect the pana before eating it. Panas can get fermented, and those should be discarded. When in doubt, do not operate heavy machinery after consuming bad panas.

4) Do not run around the house with pana-cutting knives. Knives appropriated for pana-cutting should be very sharp, and are extremely dangerous.

5) Plan ahead. Do not consume Pana de Pepita before important social events such as weddings, graduations, baptisms or sexual intercourse.

6) Lift with your knees, not your back. Back injuries are common in the pana industry.

7) When transporting panas, keep an eye on them at all times. Do not leave them unattended, and do not carry panas for people that you don't know.

8) Wear a construction helmet. Heavy fruits that can fall from very high trees tend to convert all their potential energy into kinetic energy, and a direct hit cause permanent injury, or even death.

If you would like to know more about this magical fruit, a good start would be to contact your local chapter of The Breadfruit Institute.