Salons in the Queen's House: Breadfruit and the Creolising of Caribbean Foodways

This talk by Jade Lindo will examine the historical and cultural significance of breadfruit in Caribbean foodways, particularly through the experiences of Black enslaved women. Introduced as part of colonial agricultural schemes, breadfruit was intended to sustain the enslaved population with minimal planter investment.

However, its integration into Caribbean diets was neither seamless nor passive. Black women, key figures in food cultivation and preparation, navigated and reshaped imposed food systems through provision-ground agriculture, culinary adaptation, and resistance.

By tracing the spread of breadfruit across the Caribbean from the nineteenth century to the present, this talk reveals the intersections of colonial botany, labour, and gender. It interrogates the erasure of Black women’s agency in existing historiographies and foregrounds their role in the development of Caribbean food culture.

Lindo's work draws on archival analysis, oral histories, and culinary reconstructions to reclaim the narratives of those who transformed breadfruit from a colonial imposition into a marker of resilience and identity. 

Jade Lindo is an RCA/V&A History of Design graduate and a current PhD student at the University of Warwick, focusing on the cultural and historical significance of the breadfruit at Kew Gardens. A recipient of the prestigious Gillian Naylor Prize, Lindo's research delves into the complexities of Caribbean history, exploring how identity, culture, and gender intertwine.

Her academic work sheds light on the intricate layers of Caribbean heritage, bringing a nuanced perspective to the intersection of colonialism, migration, and environmental history. Passionate about the entanglements of culture, Lindo's studies aim to amplify underrepresented narratives in Caribbean scholarship.