Jackfruit

Jackfruit, also called Indian bread tree, is ranked among the mulberry family and is the closest relative of the bread tree. This plant is characterized by the largest fruits that grow on trees and are considered suitable for food. So, the weight of the jackfruit sometimes reaches 35 kilograms with a length of almost up to a meter and a diameter of 20 centimeters. But this applies to the largest representatives of this plant. Basically, on sale you can find fruits the size of a large watermelon, approximately 15 kilograms.

The jackfruit peel is quite thick, it is strewn with a large number of conical protrusions. When immature, the fruits are colored greenish, and when tapping, you can hear a dull sound. After ripening, the peel takes on a yellowish-green or yellow-brown color. Moreover, the maturity of the jackfruit is also determined by the hollow sound when tapping.

The flesh of the fruit, which is colored in a rich yellow color, is distinguished by sweetness and aroma. It consists of juicy soft fibers, which are formed in the form of large lobes. Inside each of them there is a large white seed of oblong shape.

When cutting the jackfruit, you can feel a pleasant, but slightly specific aroma, in which there are notes of banana and pineapple along with a kind of artificial flavor similar to the smell of acetone. However, this does not smell like flesh, but peel, so before cutting the fruit, it is recommended to lubricate your hands with vegetable oil or wear rubber gloves in order to protect the skin from the sticky latex characteristic of jackfruit peel.

The ripened intact fruit has a stretched and elastic peel, from which a slightly detectable smell emanates. If suddenly you have acquired a jackfruit, from which you feel a strong aroma, then the fruit is overripe. To divide the cut fruit into parts, you need to put pressure on the peel, and then cut out the flesh using a knife. By freeing from the bones, you can immediately use jackfruit pulp to prepare dishes or put in the refrigerator. By the way, in a cool place, cut fruits are stored for no more than five days, but in the freezer they do not lose freshness until two months.

Jackfruit fruits are widely used in cooking, both ripe and not ripe. Immature fruits are used like vegetables - they are boiled, stewed and fried, and the chef makes salads and desserts from ripe jackfruit. The flesh of this exotic fruit is unusually nutritious and contains about 40 percent starch, which exceeds the amount of carbohydrates even in bread. In this regard, as well as in view of the cheapness in India, the jackfruit is called bread for the poor.