Description
Background
The jackfruit, also called Jacob’s fruit, in Brazilian Portuguese Jaca, is the fruit of the jackfruit tree from the mulberry family, a relative of the African breadfruit tree.
The fruits grow directly on the trunk, vary in size up to about twice the size of a human head and are surrounded by a yellowish-greenish, hard shell with small knobs. The fibrous pulp is sweet and juicy, from yellow to light violet in color with a unique taste and divided into pocket-sized slits about the size of a palm. The seeds distributed in large numbers taste like chestnuts and are eaten raw or dried. The non-edible fibers surrounding the pulp emit a sticky secretion that cannot be removed from the skin with water, but with oil.
There are both female and male flowers on a jackfruit tree. The tree has a relatively short trunk with a dense crown, but can easily exceed 10m in height. Flowering is from December to March. The fruits become very large, are yellowish-green on conical tubercles and can weigh up to 10 kg. They ripen during the rainy season from July to August.
Taste and ripeness
With increasing ripeness, the citrusy-fruity taste of the jackfruit becomes more intense and reminds of honey or caramel. The crunchy, juicy consistency of an almost ripe fruit is also very popular. When fully ripe, the flesh is rather soft and somewhat slimy.
Varieties in Sri Lanka
It is important to know that there are two varieties in Sri Lanka. The “Waraka” (firm) and the “Wella” (soft). The “Wella” is so soft when it ripens that it mostly falls off the tree and gets stuck everywhere in the branches and the part that arrives at the bottom is barely recognizable 😉 This is why this variety is basically only used for cooking and picked unripe .
Storage
The ripe jackfruit should be stored in a cool place. Cut fruits, in particular, do not tolerate heat as they would quickly become moldy.
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