Jackfruit is also referred to as Jacca (the J is silent, so it sounds like hhhhacka). It is the largest tree fruit in the world! You don't want to sit under one of these beasts hanging in a tree, as they can reach up to 100 pounds!
Jackfruit is nutritious and plentiful in warmer climates, such as Mexico, India, and Southeast Asia. We are featuring jackfruit as our "Weird Food of the Month" because we had the rare experience of tasting one at a local farm stand while visiting Riviera Nayarit, Mexico.
During one of our excursions, our tour guide spotted this enormous and strange-looking fruit being sliced open for sampling. He immediately took us on a detour so that we could get a taste, as it is uncommon to taste jackfruit freshly cut, right from the tree. Talk about farm to table!
 |
When sliced, the jackfruit is meaty and the center is very sticky. Our tour guide described the flavor of a ripe jackfruit as a combination of apple, pineapple, mango, and banana.
The jackfruit has to be cut with a giant knife to be able to cut through the thick, spiny skin. Our tour guide just so happened to have a machete on hand, so we purchased some of the fruit to take with us. Half of a Jacca was only about $1 and fed 10 of us. It was delicious!
 |
8 facts about the Jackfruit:
- Jackfruit is the world's largest tree fruit.
- Typically a jackfruit tree can produce anywhere from 100 to 200 fruits in a year.
- Ripe jackfruit is eaten as a fruit, but unripe jackfruit is prepared as a vegetable.
- Young jackfruit is a great meat alternative and can be used by vegans. It has the texture of pulled pork.
- The jackfruit is a staple in the region of Riviera Nayarit.
- The seeds of ripe jackfruit are edible and very tasty when roasted or boiled.
- Extracts from the roots of the jackfruit tree can be used to treat fever, asthma, and diarrhea.
- The seeds can be made into flour.
 |
Keep your eyes peeled and check out your local grocery store for fresh jackfruit. We have spotted it at Trader Joe's and Wegmans in a can too. Have fun trying this "weird fruit" with the whole family!
