Jackfruit REALLY looks like something from another planet!!

Native to South and South-East Asian countries its fruit is usually around 10 – 12 inches in diameter or more.

It is the national fruit of Bangladesh, has been cultivated in India for centuries. and is also very common in the Philippines and Brazil in particular.

We live in a more-or-less sub-tropical area of SE Queensland in Australia and Jackfruit is not something that you see much here at all. But when it does show up in the markets or at a store, it is quickly pounced on by those who know about it. Others just stare at these wondering, “What on earth is that!?

The one in the photos below was one of about a dozen or so delivered to our Natural Foods Store by a local grower. Word quickly got around members of the Asian community here and the supply disappeared almost as quickly as it came in.

This particular one weighed in at about 6 or 7 Kgs.
(That translates as about 13 – 15 lbs or so).

We had never purchased one of these fruits before and knew very little about them, so it was a lot of fun discovering the intricacies of this curious fruit. Of course, a quick search of the Internet gave us a crash course in how to proceed.

 The fruit was very firm when it was purchased, but within a day or two it had started to soften up inside and then things started to feel REALLY creepy!!

Why do I say “creepy”?

Well, as the fruit ripened and began to soften inside, the outside remained tough and rough, something like you’d imagine the hide of a crocodile or large lizard to be.

It took on the feel and appearance of some alien, reptilian creature. It even sounded a little hollow as the surface was tapped with the flat of the hand. With a little bit of imagination (or that “funny” weed) you’d swear the thing would sprout legs and run off the table.

With this image in mind, sticking a large knife into it was even more challenging. Would it let out a blood-curdling scream as I did so? 

WARNING!! 
The`sap of the Jackfruit is very sticky and will stick to most anything it touches. It is like a white sticky, latex-type substance. Before attempting to cut into the Jackfruit it is wise to oil your knife, cutting board, hands and anything that might come in contact with the sap. Alternatively you could use rubber gloves for your hands.

 As you can see, the cross-section, resembles something like that of a reptilian brain.

If we hadn’t researched this fruit on the Internet we would have been stuck at this point.

“What is edible? What is not?”

As you can see, the flesh of the Jackfruit looks, and IS very fibrous. Around the central core radiates fibrous “capsules” (called Arils) of sweet flesh. Each aril contains a large light creamy-brown seed.

The seeds are smooth in texture and apparently can be eaten either baked or boiled. It is supposed to taste a bit like chestnuts. CLICK HERE for a great blog post about eating the seeds.

We didn’t find out about eating the seeds till later, so we’ll have to wait till next season (Feb – April here is Oz) to try that.

METHOD:
With each half of the Jackfruit, we’d poke around with a large spoon (or fingers if you really want to get into it) to isolate and scoop out the capsules of seed-containing flesh.

Th process is not clear-cut at all, so you just have to feel your way around the entire perimeter of the core of each half. It’s easy to miss one, so be very methodical in your approach.

 As you can see from the photo. I’ve included a complete flesh “capsule” in with the bowl of seeds.

The bowl on the right is what’s left after extracting the seeds.

In the background is the Jackfruit “carcass” as we called it. It looks like there is plenty still to eat in there, but it is so very fibrous you’d get turned off it rather quick.

A lot of the whole fruit ends up in the compost as it is simply inedible. The whole process took quite a bit of work to complete. If you knew what you were doing it would be no big deal.

TASTE:
The flesh is very sweet and somewhat “slimy” in texture. I’ve heard someone liken the tasty to that of “Juicy Fruit Gum”. Hmmm, I’m not so sure about that,… but close. I tend to think of mango crossed with banana and papaya.

Not to try and put you off at all, but Karen just reminded me that to her, the slimy texture reminded her of oysters.

We found it to be very “rich” also, so we had to eat it sparingly. Most of what remained was frozen and then used up later bit by bit in smoothies or simply as a one-off frozen treat by itself.

Overall, the experience was great value. If you see Jackfruit in the store we’d definitely recommended giving yourself the experience. BE BRAVE.

Hopefully what I’ve described here will give you a bit of a head-start and you can confidently purchase one if they’re available in your area. Take it home, plonk it on the table one fine sunny afternoon, and pretend that you really know what you are doing. You’ll definitely have an experience you won’t forget in a hurry.

HAVE FUN!!

More info on Jackfruit CLICK HERE