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Jackfruit
Appears in
Published 1994
Originally a native of southern Asia the jackfruit is a variety of breadfruit now grown in most parts of the tropics. It can grow very large, to a weight of well over 20 pounds, but smaller ones are marketed. It is irregularly shaped but roughly oval, and the densely spiny skin ripens from green to brown. The rather musty sweet aroma intensifies as the fruit ripens.
The rather bland pulp has more of the characteristics of a staple carbohydrate than a dessert fruit. It can be eaten raw when ripe and sweet, but is more usually cooked and served with curries and other meat dishes. The numerous edible white seeds can be dried and ground to provide a type of flour or roasted and eaten like chestnuts, in which case they should first be boiled and the water thrown away. (59, 60)