Breadfruit. Engraving of breadfruit, the fruit of the breadfruit tree (Artocarpus altilis). The breadfruit is a staple food of the Pacific, having been transported to many islands by the Polynesian peoples. This plate was published in An account of the voyages undertaken by the order of His present Majesty : for making discoveries in the Southern Hemisphere, by John Hawkesworth, printed at London in 1773.