Jackfruit
What it is:
- Enormous and prickly on the outside, jackfruit looks somewhat like durian.
- When unripe, it is remarkably similar in texture to chicken, making jackfruit an excellent vegetarian susbstitute for meat.
benefits:
- Jackfruit contains many vitamins and minerals and offers numerous health benefits. The fruit's isoflavines, antioxidants and phytonutients mean that jackfruit has cancer-fighting properties. It is also known to aid in the treatment for ulcers and indigestion
Taste:
- Somewhat of an acquired taste. Similar to pineapple but milder and less juicy.
- Young jackfruit has a mild flavour and distinctive texture.
Aroma:
- The exterior of the fruit is not edible, but the flesh and seeds are commonly eaten.
- When the fruit has turned from green to yellow, it is ready to be picked.
Jackfruit tends to be an acquired taste and frequently does not appeal to those unfamiliar with it. - The ripening jackfruit has an odor which has been compared to the smell of rotting
onions. This aroma often discourages people from trying the interior
Preparation:
- It can be eaten ripe or unripe, cooked or uncooked.
- When the jackfruit is opened, numerous sweet, banana-like bulbs are revealed,
and most people find them quite delicious. - One variety of jackfruit has a crunchy, rather than mushy texture, and is generally preferred. The seeds can be roasted and are compared to chestnuts in flavor.
- Cutting and preparing the jackfruit is somewhat difficult because the fruit is very sticky and can actually be used as glue. Most people oil their hands to prevent some of the stickiness from transferring to their hands, but washing up afterwards is still a chore.
- In India, jackfruit is eaten raw or used in curries, soups, and stews. It also flavors
various deserts and is a common ingredient in fruit salads. - The jackfruit's popularity varies in different countries, but in most countries,
the fruit is either cooked with rice or eaten raw. Many cultures do not wait for the
jackfruit to ripen but prepare it when it is still relatively small, unripe and crunchy
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