Recipe
🍽️ DINNER
Kon (Chuukese Pounded Breadfruit)
Ripe breadfruit boiled and pounded hot with coconut milk into a creamy paste, a ceremonial food of Chuuk served with fish or chicken.
Micronesian · medium · serves 4
prep 15 min · cook 45 min
~372 cal · 3g protein · 65g carbs · 14g fat · 12g fiber · 27g sugars · 13g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
↓ Jump to Recipe
AI-generated illustration
Kon is pounded , one of the most important foods of Chuuk in the Federated States of Micronesia. It is far more than everyday fare: when the first of the season is presented to the chiefs, it is presented as kon, not as raw fruit, and the dish carries meanings of respect, wealth and forgiveness.
An almost-ripe is boiled until soft, then pounded while still hot on a special wooden board (nif) with a coral or wooden pounder (po), worked in until the paste turns creamy and smooth. Plain pounded is called kon; with added it becomes mwatun, the form served on big occasions. Within the main lagoon men do the pounding; in the outer islands it is often women.
The finished kon is patterned on top, sometimes with designs particular to a family, and served with fish or chicken. Creamy, mild and deeply traditional, it turns the tree's short, bountiful season into ceremonial food.
Saved recipes and passport stamps are kept on this device. Sign in to keep them across your devices and leave reviews.
Make it yours
✓ Naturally vegetarian, vegan and gluten-, dairy-, egg- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 4
1 large (about 2 lbs) almost-ripe
1 cup
to taste salt
Instructions
1
Cut and peel the breadfruit into chunks, cover with water, and boil until soft, about 45 minutes; test with a fork.
2
Working while the breadfruit is still hot, pound it (with a heavy pestle and board, or a sturdy masher) until smooth, adding the coconut milk a little at a time until it reaches a creamy consistency.
✎ Chef’s note
The breadfruit must be pounded hot; once it cools it will not come together smoothly.
3
Season lightly with salt and shape into a smooth mound or cakes.
4
Serve warm with fish or chicken.
✎ Chef’s note
Plain pounded breadfruit is kon; with the coconut milk worked in it becomes mwatun, the version for special occasions. It is traditionally cut and served with a clean finger rather than a knife.
Chuukese tradition, Federated States of Micronesia.
Ratings & reviews
Cooked it? Rate this dish:
No account needed. Sign in to leave a full review with a comment.
Cooked it?
Kept on this device, no account needed. Sign in to leave a review and keep your passport across your devices.
No reviews yet, be the first to cook it.
🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Palikir. Yams here are grown for standing as much as for eating. They are cultivated competitively for the kamadipw feasts and measured by how many men it takes to carry one, offered alongside pigs and sakau, and what a family brings speaks for them.
🗺️
Micronesia. The Federated States are four states and they do not cook alike. Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei and Kosrae differ in staples and in ceremony, so treating Micronesia as one kitchen misses the point. On Pohnpei, yams are grown competitively and a prize tuber is measured by the number of men needed to carry it.
🌍
Oceania. The twentieth century changed the Pacific plate faster than anything before it. White rice, tinned corned beef, mutton flaps, flour and sugar arrived by ship and are now entirely everyday, and the public health consequences are among the most closely studied anywhere. Alongside that, Australian and New Zealand kitchens have taken up Asian technique and Maori and Pasifika cooking in a way they had not before.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Micronesia
Coconut Crab with TaroPrized coconut crab simmered in its own fat with coconut cream, served with steamed taro.
Grilled Reef Fish with RiceWhole reef fish grilled over coconut husks with lime and served over hot rice, a savory, protein-rich Micronesian morning plate.
Reef Fish with BreadfruitReef fish gently poached in coconut cream with ginger and lime, served over roasted breadfruit, the everyday midday plate of the Pohnpei coast.
Browse all Micronesia recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Mortar and pestle.
Storing it: Keeps 2 to 3 days refrigerated. Resteam or warm through gently to serve.
Make it a Micronesia meal
SakauDrink
Uht Sukusuk (Pounded Banana with Coconut Cream)Dessert
Fafa (Kosraean Pounded Taro)Lunch
Similar dishes from around the world
Matoke with Groundnut SauceUganda
Belsiich el Kukau (Pounded Taro)Palau
Dia (Sago and Banana in Coconut Cream)Papua New Guinea
Boiled Kumara with Fresh CoconutSolomon Islands
DucanaAntigua and Barbuda
ConkiesBarbados
Cuisine
Diet
Vegetarian Recipes from Around the World
Vegan Recipes from Around the World
Gluten-Free Recipes from Around the World
Dairy-Free Recipes from Around the World
Egg-Free Recipes from Around the World
Pork-Free Recipes from Around the World
Vegan Dinners from Around the World
Vegetarian Dinners from Around the World
Gluten-Free Dinners from Around the World
Dairy-Free Dinners from Around the World
Egg-Free Dinners from Around the World
Frequently asked questions
What is Kon (Chuukese Pounded Breadfruit)?
Ripe breadfruit boiled and pounded hot with coconut milk into a creamy paste, a ceremonial food of Chuuk served with fish or chicken.
Where does Kon (Chuukese Pounded Breadfruit) come from?
Kon (Chuukese Pounded Breadfruit) is a Micronesian dish from Palikir, Micronesia.
Can Kon (Chuukese Pounded Breadfruit) be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Kon (Chuukese Pounded Breadfruit) recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions, including several at once such as gluten-free and dairy-free together. Treat them as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Kon (Chuukese Pounded Breadfruit) safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Kon (Chuukese Pounded Breadfruit) take to make?
About 60 minutes total (15 minutes prep, 45 minutes cooking), serving 4.
Get the Sunday Spin
One dish from somewhere in the world, in your inbox every Sunday. No spam, just dinner inspiration you can cook that day.