Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus)
Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus or A. heterophylla) is a fruiting tree in the family Moraceae, native to Southern and Southeast Asia. Jackfruit can also be found in East Africa, Brazil and Surinam. It is the national fruit of Bangladesh. Jackfruit is also known as jakfruit, jaca or nangka. Jackfruit is the largest tree-borne fruit in the world, with 90 cm long and 50 cm in diameter, and weighs 36 kg. Jackfruit tree is suitable for tropical lowland, adapting well to humid tropical and near-tropical climates. It grows 10-17 m tall, with glossy, dark-green leaves that are elliptical, 5-25 cm long and 3-12 cm wide. Young trees have leaves that are often lobed, while mature trees produce leaves that are entire. Male and female flowers are produced on separate inflorescences. The wind-pollinated female flowers are usually borne on thick branches or on the trunk of the tree. The rough skin of the fruit is green or yellow when ripe. When cut, white, gummy latex oozes from the cut ends. The latex problem can be overcome by applying cooking oil on the knife and hands before cutting and removing the bulbs. The interior consists of large, edible, strong aroma, sweet, succulent, yellow to orange colored pulp that encloses a smooth, oval, light-brown seed. There are two varieties of jackfruit in Kerala, India. Varikka has firm flesh when ripen, and Kuzha variety has very soft, almost dissolving type of flesh when the fruit ripen. Jackfruit is widely used in South and Southeast Asian cuisines. Unripe and young jackfruit are usually cooked, while ripe fruit are eaten fresh. The seeds may be cooked, boiled or baked like beans. The jackfruit is also available in forms like canned, frozen, or deep-fried as chips. Jackfruit is fibrous, packed with vitamin A, vitamin B complex, and is a good source of dietary fiber, vitamin C, potassium, magnesium, manganese and iron.  Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) Author: Shahnoor Habib Munmun (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported) | ||
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