image by: Kasese Humanist Tree planting initiatives

HWN Suggests

How the vegan food trend made a star of the pungent jackfruit

Lush, densely forested Kerala, the exuberantly green south Indian state sometimes called “God’s own country”, is exactly the kind of place you would expect to produce a superfood. It just wouldn’t be the jackfruit. Covered in spikes and emitting a stench of rotting onions, jackfruit can balloon to an ungainly 45kg, and its inside is coated in a thick gum that stains axes, machetes or whatever heavy-duty tool is employed to attack its leathery shell. Yet thousands of miles from this tropical forest habitat, in food trucks in Los Angeles, vegan eateries in London – and now even at Pizza Hut– jackfruit consumption is surging among diners looking for an ethical alternative to meat.

read full article

Featured

 Here's The Scoop On Jackfruit, A Ginormous Fruit To Feed The World

It's not every fruit that gets its own international symposium. Then again, the jackfruit is not your typical fruit. It's got a distinctive, musky smell, and a flavor that some describe as like Juicy Fruit gum. It is the largest tree fruit in the world, capable of reaching 100 pounds. And it grows on the branches — and the trunks — of trees that can reach 30, 40, 50 feet. (Trunk-growing is a good thing because it reduces the odds of a jackfruit bopping you on the head.)

Previously Featured

The Top Jackfruit Health Benefits

The tropical fruit offers more than just a satisfying shredded texture. Here, a nutrition pro gives the DL on jackfruit's nutrition facts.

How to Eat Jackfruit – An Ayurveda Guide

Many complain of severe stomach pain or stomach ache, bloating, and flatulence after eating jackfruit. According to the principles of Ayurveda, jack fruit is heavy to digest and stays in the stomach for a long time due to its sticky nature. This causes digestion problems. How to eat jackfruit without inviting tummy troubles? Ayurveda Acharyas suggest many easy ways to solve this problem. Here is a guide to eating jack fruit without experiencing stomach ache or pain

Is Jackfruit the Next Big Meat Substitute?

Nutritious, plentiful, and meaty, this Indian staple is poised to catch on with eco-minded consumers hungry for variety. For years the fruit—native to India and part of the Moracaea family that includes breadfruit, figs, and mulberries—has been popular with vegans, who use the unripe fruit in dishes like tacos, enchiladas, and pulled “pork” barbecue sandwiches, as well as in authentic Indian curries, like ghassi, made with ground coconut, black chickpeas, and spices like red chili, coriander, and cumin.

It’s Gigantic, Fibrous, Spiky—and a Substitute for Meat?

Meet the jackfruit, the South Asian staple that chefs and food companies are embracing as a sustainable stand-in for meat.

It’s Trendy. It’s Tasty. It’s Jackfruit

Jackfruit is the largest tree-borne fruit in the world, capable of weighing in at 100 lbs. While not yet well-known in the U.S., it has been widely cultivated in Southeast Asia for centuries, where it’s a dietary staple prized for its purported therapeutic benefits.

Jackfruit is a vegan sensation – could I make it taste delicious at home?

The Indian fruit used to be left to rot on the tree, but has become a fashionable meat substitute. Does its taste match its popularity?

Jackfruit Nutrition Guide: From Meat Substitute to Tropical Fruit

Jackfruit is a unique and interesting food to experiment with in the kitchen. It also has numerous potential health benefits, thanks to its nutrition profile and compounds.

More Fruits Worth a Voyage Around the World

When a falling apple bonked the brain of Isaac Newton, the theory of gravity is said to have been born. But falling jackfruit can kill. This huge fruit, kin to the dainty mulberry, can weigh more than 100 pounds. Should you find yourself in the tropics on a sweltering day, hang your hammock in the shade of a guava tree, by all means—but beware of the jackfruit.

Nutritional and Health Benefits of Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam.): A Review

Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam., which is commonly known as jackfruit is a tropical climacteric fruit, belonging to Moraceae family, is native to Western Ghats of India and common in Asia, Africa, and some regions in South America. It is known to be the largest edible fruit in the world. Jackfruit is rich in nutrients including carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals. Both the seeds and the flesh of jackfruit are consumed as curries and boiled forms, while the flesh in fully ripen stage can be eaten directly as a fruit.

Plant Profile: Jackfruit

Artocarpus heterophyllus is native to India and Malaysia—but is grown in tropical regions throughout Asia, Africa, South and Central America. The tree thrives in warm, sunny, humid conditions. Its canopy can reach heights of 30 to 70 feet.

Turn to Jackfruit for a Vegan Snack

Jackfruit, said to be the world’s largest tree fruit, has become an ingredient of choice among vegans for its ability to masquerade as meat, notably as pulled pork in barbecue dishes.

Whatever Happened To ... The Plan To Jazz Up Jackfruit?

For my story, I talked to food researchers who were gaga over jackfruit as a nutritious food for people in low-income countries who can't always get nutritious food.

Resources

13 Delicious Ways to Cook With Jackfruit Instead of Meat

Beans and mushrooms both have meaty textures that make them great vegetarian substitutes, but if you want something more adventurous, reach for jackfruit. The fruit is indigenous to India, and it's recently gained popularity among vegan and vegetarian crowds internationally, because it can taste like pulled pork, shredded chicken, or even crab cakes when prepared just right.

15 Reasons Why You Should Be Eating Jackfruit

Jackfruit can be consumed both young and or ripe. When it is green and young, it has a texture that is stringy and resembles meat. Although on the outside, it has the same exterior as ripe Jack fruit. Ripe Jackfruit resembles any other fresh fruit, and has a sweet flavor. It can even be consumed raw! While ripe Jackfruit is sold whole at Asian markets, young Jackfruit can be preserved in brine and sold in a can. Ripe Jackfruit can also be canned, and its syrup used for sweet dishes.

7 Jackfruit Health Benefits You Should Know—Plus How to Eat It

This vegan meal staple is packed with nutrients, but it lacks protein.

The Jackfruit Company

We are jackfruit experts, crafting culinary adventures for every palate. Let your taste buds be inspired by BBQ, Tex-Mex, and Tikka Masala – the options are endless.