Jackfruit, that is.
A few weeks ago I was sitting at the Firefly Café in Boyertown when I decided to order a Jackfruit Sandwich. The patrons at the next table must have heard my order because they began a conversation that started with, “What is jackfruit?” Later, as I enjoyed my delicious sandwich, I started to think more about their question.
Jackfruit is the largest tree-born fruit in the world. An individual fruit can vary in weight between 10–100 pounds. In my travels to research this article, I found an entire jackfuit at Whole Foods Market that weighed 20 pounds!
Prices for fresh jackfruit range in price between $1.99–$2.49 per pound. Asian market HMart sells wedges of jackfruit by the pound.
A jackfruit tree can yield more than 5,000 pounds of fruit per year. I can remember living in Brazil and seeing lots of “jaca,” only I never knew what it was.
When you cut a jackfruit in half, you will find multiple fruit lobes (bulbs) and gigantic seeds (the size of an olive) that are wedged in seed pods. The yellow lobes are the only edible parts and they are also very sticky (gloves might help when working with it).
Jackfruit is a good source of protein and vitamin C. A cup of jackfruit contains about 120 calories. It’s rich in fiber and, as I see it, is a rather perfect food for re-creating meat-like, plant-based dishes. Cooked jackfruit is often referred to as “vegan pulled pork.”
It is available fresh (whole and cut up), canned (in a syrup) and ready made. If you are using the canned, it must be rinsed off with hot water to remove the sweet, syrupy flavor.
There are endless possibilities when using jackfruit. Cooked jackfruit has a nice meaty-like flavor. The easiest thing ever is to take a few cups of raw jackfruit, some chopped onion and a few cups of your favorite barbecue sauce. Throw it all into a slow cooker and cook overnight for eight hours on low. When it’s finished, pull the jackfruit apart and get ready to dig in. Serve with brown rice and a salad—dinner is ready!
If prepping and cooking jackfruit seems like too much work, The Jackfruit Company has ready-made jackfruit in delicious flavors. Remember that jackfruit is cholesterol-free and makes the perfect focal point of any meal.
Just remember to wear gloves when prepping the fresh jackfruit, because even after washing my hands, I felt like a human sticky-note!
- Photos: Char Nolan
