Everything about The Jackfruit totally explained
The
Jackfruit (
Artocarpus heterophyllus) is a species of
tree of the mulberry family (
Moraceae) and its
fruit, native to southwestern
India,
Bangladesh,
Philippines and
Sri Lanka, and possibly also east to the
Malay Peninsula, though more likely an early human introduction there. It is well suited to tropical lowlands. It is commercially grown and sold in these countries, as well as imported around Australia. The English name
jackfruit, one of many for the fruit, derives from Portuguese
jaca, which is derived from
Malayalam chakka.
Description
The jackfruit is the largest tree borne
fruit in the world. Its fruit is seldom less than about 25 cm in diameter. Even a relatively thin tree (circa 10cm diameter) can bear large fruit. The fruits can reach 36kg in weight and up to 90cm long and 50cm in diameter.
The sweet yellow sheaths around the seeds are about 3-5 mm thick and have a taste similar to that of
pineapple but milder and less juicy.
Cultivation and uses
Jackfruit is widely grown in
South,
Southeast Asia and
northern Australia. It is also grown in parts of Hawaii, central and eastern
Africa,
Brazil,
Suriname, and in islands of the West Indies such as
Jamaica and
Trinidad. It is the national fruit of
Bangladesh and
Indonesia. The jackfruit bears fruit three years after planting.
The jackfruit has played a significant role in the Indian agriculture (and culture) from time immemorial. Archeological findings in India have revealed that jackfruit was cultivated in India 3000 to 6000 years ago. Findings also indicate that Indian Emperor
Ashoka the Great (274 - 237 BC) encouraged arbori-horticulture of various fruits including jackfruit.
Varahamihira, the Indian astronomer, mathematician, and astrologer wrote a chapter on the treatment of trees in his
Brhat Samhita. His treatise includes a specific reference on grafting to be performed on trees such as jackfruit.
The jackfruit is something of an acquired taste, but it's very popular in many parts of the world. An unopened ripe fruit can have an unpleasant smell, like rotting
onions. The light brown to black seeds with white innards are about the 2-3 inches long. People often oil their hands with coconut oil, or paraffin before preparing jackfruit, as the rest of the fruit is a loose white mass that bleeds a milky, sticky sap often used as glue.
Commercial availability
Outside of its countries of origin, fresh jackfruit can be found at Asian food markets. It may also be available canned in sugar syrup or frozen. Sweet
jackfruit chips are produced by various manufacturers.
The
wood of the tree is used for the production of various musical instruments. In
Indonesia it forms part of the
gamelan and in the
Philippines, its soft wood is made into the hull of a
kutiyapi, a type of
Philippine boat
lute. It is also used to make the body of the Indian drums
mridangam and
kanjira. It is also widely used in the manufacture of
furniture.
Dishes and preparations
Jackfruit is commonly used in South and Southeast Asian cuisines. It can be eaten unripe (young) or ripe, and cooked or uncooked. The
seeds can also be eaten cooked or baked like beans; they taste similar to
chestnuts. The leaves are sometimes used as a wrapping for steamed
Idlis.
Unripe (young) jackfruit can also be eaten whole. Young jackfruit has a mild flavour and distinctive texture. The cuisines of
India,
Bangladesh,
Sri Lanka,
Indonesia, and
Vietnam use cooked young jackfruit. In many cultures, jackfruit is boiled and used in curries as a food staple.
- Kathal Subzee: Spicy vegetable with raw jackfruit from Uttar Pradesh or Punjab, India.
- Pilakkai Kandbu and Dosa: Sweet dishes made with ripe jackfruit from Mangalore, India.
- Gujjeda Kajipu: Dry spicy curry of raw jackfruit from Mangalore, India.
- Ghariyo: Jackfruit sweet dish from Mangalore, India.
- Jackfuit Pappad: Jackfruit Pappad as a snack from Mangalore, India.
- Jackfruit Halwa: made from ripen jackfruit a sweet dish, part of Udupi cuisine.
- Chakka Pradaman: Jackfruit pudding from Kerala, India.
- Enchorer Torkari: Curry made from unripe jackfruit from West Bengal, India.
- Chakka Varatti: Jackfruit Jam from Kerala, India.
- Chakka Vattal: Jackfruit Chips from Kerala, India.
- Panasa Koora/Panasa Pottu Koora: Traditional Jackfruit Curry made from unripe jackfruit from coastal Andhra, India.(External Link
)
- Gudeg: traditional dish from Yogyakarta, Central Java, Indonesia.
- Lodeh: traditional Indonesian vegetable dish with coconut milk.
- Gule Nangka: traditional Indonesia spicy curry Indonesia.
- Raithey: sour curry with boiled young jackfruit, raw mango & raw papaya part of Navayath cuisine from Bhatkal,Karnataka, India.
- Fansa Nevaryo: Navayath sweet dish of rice ground with ripen jackfruit stuffed with coconut and jaggery and steamed after wrapping in banyan leaves from Bhatkal,Karnataka, India.
- Humba Nangka:curry made from unripe jackfruit and coconut milk Bohol, Philippines.
- Gatti or Gidde in Tulu where ripe jackfruit is ground with rava to form thick paste which is put on a teak wood leaf and then cooked in steam. The gidde is ready.
- An optional ingredient in Sayur asam (Indonesian clear soup; the name means tamarind vegetables)
- Also ingredient in Indonesian traditional Minangkabau cuisine.
- Jackfruit salad: Vietnamese dish with boiled young jackfruit.
- Kiri Kos: A creamy jackfruit curry cooked with coconut milk from Sri Lanka.
- Polos Ambul: Tender jackfuits cooked with spices from Sri Lanka.
- Kalupol Maluwa: Jackfruit nuts cooked with spices and mixed with scraped coconut from Sri Lanka.
- Fanas Poli: Sun dried Jackfruit pulp with sugar from Konkan.
Other preparations:
Jackfruit chips (for example Nafiri brand from Surabaya, Indonesia)
Asian ice desserts (including Indonesian & Filipino)
Turon, a Filipino dessert made of banana and jackfruit wrapped in an eggroll wrapper
Sometimes an added ingredient for cassava cake
An optional ingredient in kolak (an Indonesian mung bean and coconut based dessert).
It is thought that jackfruit is the basis for the flavour of Juicy Fruit chewing gum.
Jackfruit candy
Vitamin Water sells a jackfruit - guava (b+ theanine) beverage
Jackfruit smoothies or milkshakes
Atu Kos: Smoked jackfuit - a way of preserving it, to use during non-season in Sri Lanka.
Names
The fruit is called a variety of names around the world:
South Asian names
Assamese: Kothal
Bengali: কাঁঠাল Cãţtal (National fruit of Bangladesh), Enchor (the unripe fruit, used in curries)
Bhojpuri: Katahar
Kannada: General : Halasu ಹಲಸು Unripe: Halasina Kaayi ಹಲಸಿನ ಕಾಯಿ Ripe: Halasina hannu ಹಲಸಿನ ಹಣ್ಣು
Tulu: Gujje (unripe) and Pilakkai (ripe)
Konkani:"Ponos"
Gujarati: Phannasa
Hindi: Katahal
Nepali: Rukh kut-a-herr
Malayalam: Chakka(ചക്ക)
Marathi: फणस Phanas
Oriya: Panasa
Maldivian, sakkeyo (only the ripe fruitpulp is used)
Sinhala: Kos. Varaka / Vela (in its ripe state)
Tamil: Palaa / Varukkai (old Tamil)
Telugu: General : Panasa పనాస Unripe: Panasa Kaaya పనాస కాయ Ripe: Panasa Pandu పనాస పండు
Sanskrit: Panasam
Southeast Asian names
Bicol: Nangka
Cebuano: Nangka
Indonesian: Nangka
Khmer: Knol
Lao: Mak mii
Malay: Nangka
Kapampangan: Yangka
Tagalog: Langka
Thai: ขนุน Kanoon
Vietnamese: Mít
East Asian names
Chinese:
Japanese: パラミツ Paramitsu
Korean: 바라밀 Baramil
West Asian name
Persian: Derakhte Nan
African names
Malagasy: Finésy
Swahili: Fenesi
Luganda: Fene
European and Latin American names
German: Jackfrucht
Icelandic: Saðningaraldin
Portuguese: Jaca
Spanish: Jaka; Fruta de Jack
Further Information
Get more info on 'Jackfruit'.
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