Jackfruit is the world’s largest tropical fruit weighing up to 50 pounds. It resembles a giant watermelon, but with a prickly skin. As it ripens, it turns from green to brownish and softens up. It’s quite sticky inside, so it helps to put a little vegetable oil on your hands and knife to make cutting easier.
Inside the jackfruit at the center you will find a core down and some very large seeds.
Those seeds can be cooked and eaten. You can see the fruit in groups like those of an orange, with a texture much like a pineapple or mango.
It’s very sweet, almost as sweet as a banana or pineapple in terms of taste.
It is a part of the Moraceae plant family, which also includes mulberry, breadfruit and figs.
Jackfruit is oftenly used as a meat substitute due to its texture, which is comparable to shredded meat by Vegans and vegetarians.
Nutritional value for Jackfruit.
- Calories: 94
- Fiber: (1.5 grams)- 5% of DV
- Protein: 3 grams
- Carbohydrates: (23 grams)- 8% of DV
- Vitamin A: (5mcg) -2 % of the DV
- Vitamin C: (13.7mg)- 15% of the DV
- Riboflavin: (0.055mg) -4% of the DV
- Magnesium: (29mg)- 7% of the DV
- Potassium: (448mg)- 10% of the DV
- Copper: (0.076mg) -8% of the DV
- Manganese: (0.043 mg)- 2% of the DV
NOTE: DV- Daily Value
Health benefits of Jackfruit.
- Anti- cancer benefits – A study on benefits of this miracle fruit shows that Jackfruit contains lignans and saponins, which are beneficial phytonutrients that have been shown to offer anti-cancer properties. Lignans have been found to help block the effects of the hormone estrogen, which may decrease risk of hormone -associated cancers like ovarian, breast,uterine and prostate. While Saponins, on the other hand, are known to optimize immune function and reduce risk of heart disease.
- Helps improve digestion. – Jackfruit is a nutritional champion: it is rich in minerals, vitamins and dietary fiber, which makes it a perfect natural laxative. Since it has adequate fiber, it can be an effective natural remedy to prevent constipation.
- Vision support. -Jackfruit is also known to have significant amounts of vitamin A and flavonoid pigments (carotene-ß, xanthin, lutein and cryptoxanthin-ß), offering antioxidant and vision support.
- A powerful antioxidant. As a good source of vitamin C — and a powerful antioxidant — jackfruit provides about 23 percent of the recommended daily allowance (RDA), which makes it important in helping fight off infectious agents while scavenging harmful free radicals in the body meaning that the fruit can help slow down skin aging and can even assist in repairing damaged molecules, like DNA.
- Help in maintaining weight. – As it is low in calories and sodium and does not contain cholesterol or unhealthy fats, its luscious fruit lobes make a healthy, appetizing treat you can relish. It gives a feeling of fullness.
- Helps in pregnancy. – The ambiguous fruit is rich in Vitamin B-complex , containing niacin, pyridoxine, riboflavin and folic acid. It is a viable source of minerals, such as iron, magnesium, potassium and manganese as well. Folic acid is a requirement in pregnancy since it helps prevent birth defects of your baby’s spinal cord and brain
NOTE. Consume jackfruit in moderation because it contains fructose, which may be harmful to your health in excessive amounts.
How to eat Jackfruit.
- Since jackfruit is a versatile fruit, it can be eaten cooked or raw. It can be consumed plain or cooked into both sweet and savory dishes, depending on how ripe the fruit is. The unripe fruit generally tastes better in savory recipes, while the sweetness of the ripe fruit is perfect for desserts.
- Because it’s an exotic fruit, it can be hard to find fresh jackfruit in grocery stores, particularly when it’s not in season. It is frequently sold canned.
- Because of its flavor, vegans and vegetarians often use jackfruit as an alternative food. For starters, by cooking it and then combining it with vegetables and seasonings, you can use the fruit as a meat substitute in jackfruit tacos.
- You can also add jackfruit to curries or soups. Once added to yogurt or oatmeal, the ripe fruit always tastes great.
- Seeds of jackfruit are also edible. They can be roasted or boiled and then seasoned together. Even the seeds can be used to make hummus.
Some Interesting Facts About Jackfruit.
Are you aware that As most fruits do, jack fruits usually grow from the trunk and larger branches rather than the tree’s outer stems.
Dip the jackfruit seed for a minute in cold milk and grind it well and apply it on the wrinkles, it can reduce facial wrinkles in 6 weeks.
Jackfruit is made up 80% of water.
Traditionally, extracts from the jackfruit tree roots have been used to treat fever, asthma, and diarrhea.
You can try out one of my jackfruit recipe
Simple jackfruit Curry
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp oil
- 2 tbsp curry powder
- 2 bay leaves
- 5 cloves of garlic (pounded)
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper or ground chilies
- 2 dried red chilies
- 1 small onion chopped
- 2 medium tomatoes pureed
- 1 tsp ginger
- 600g green Jackfruit, drained, rinsed and squeezed to remove excess brine. Also chop into smaller pieces if too big. 3/4 tsp salt or to taste
- 1 to 1 1/2 cups water
Preparation
- Heat oil in a sauce pan over medium heat. When hot, add curry powder and let them start to sizzle for a minute.
- Add bay leaves and red chilies and cook for a few more seconds.
- Add in the garlic, ginger and onions and a pinch of salt. Cook until translucent. 5 to 6 minutes stirring occasionally.
- Uncover and cook for a few extra minutes to thicken the tomato puree. You can choose to shred the Jackfruit a bit if you like.
- Add water, cover and cook for 15 more minutes. Taste and adjust salt and spice.
- Reduce heat to medium low and cover and cook for another 10 minutes or longer until desired consistency.
- Garnish with Coriander and serve.
Disclaimer.
The information contained in the post is for general purpose only and shouldn’t be considered as medical advice or as an alternative to medical advice. Although I’ve tried my very best to keep the information contained in this post as updated and accurate as possible, I make no guarantee of the accurateness of the same.
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