May

2

Jihva for Ingredients - Jackfruit

May 2, 2007 |

Picture taken in Kerala, India (2006).

This month’s Jihva for Ingredients, started by Indira of Mahanandi a year ago, is dedicated to this glorious Indian fruit. The response to Jihva has been very heartfelt and enthusiastic. This event embodies the essence and uniqueness of one of the world’s great culinary traditions.

We are honoured to be able to host this event as it enters its second year. We wish to thank Indira for this opportunity. We hope this level of participation continues in the years to come.

The jackfruit is indigenous to India, but spread early throughout Southeast Asia, and now grows in Africa and Latin America as well. In Kerala, even the smallest home on the tiniest plot of land is likely to have a jackfruit tree alongside the mandatory coconut and mango.

The jackfruit tree is unique for several reasons. It bears the is largest tree-borne fruit in the world. A single fruit can weigh as much as 36 kilograms and be a meter long and 75 centimeters in diameter. This giant fruit is related to the tiny mulberry, and is a cousin of the breadfruit. All about the jackfruit here.

To bear this weight, the flowers and fruits of jackfruit do not grow on branches. They grow directly on the tree forks or tree trunks, sometimes even on the lower part of the trunks.

Jackfruit wood is used to build furniture, guitars and artefacts, while the sticky sap is used as glue.

We, in India, relish the fruit green, cooked in various forms, as well as ripe. The fruit has a creamy sweetness with notes of pineapple and banana. The seeds, with their nutty taste and texture, are considered a real delicacy. High in Vitamin C and manganese, the jackfruit is a source of nourishment to many communities around the world. Nutrition Data.

Jackfruit has always been an integral part of Indian horticulture and cuisine. As explained here,

The jackfruit has played a significant role in the Indian agriculture (and culture) from times immemorial. Archeological findings in India have revealed that jackfruit was cultivated in India 3000 to 6000 years ago. Findings also indicate that Indian Emperor Ashoka the Great (274 - 237 BC) encouraged arbori-horticulture of various fruits including jackfruit. Varahamihira, the famous Indian astronomer, mathemetician, and astrologer wrote a chapter on the treatment of trees in his Brhat Samhita. One of the highlights of his treatise is a specific reference on grafting to be done on trees such as jackfruit. A method of grafting described was what is known today as ‘wedge grafting’.

The Portuguese, who first arived in Kerala in the late 1400s, helped add many words to the Malayalam lexicon, like ‘naranga‘ (for citrus fruit, from the Portuguese ‘naranja‘ ), and ‘karamboo’ (cloves). The Malayalees, in turn, contributed many culinary terms to European languages. The word ‘jackfruit’ comes from the Portuguese ‘jaca‘, which came from the Malayalam word ‘chakka‘.

Other names for the fruit: Panasam (Sanskrit), Fanas (Marathi), Panasa (Telugu/Oriya), Halasina Hannu (Kannada), Gujje (Tulu), Kathal (Hindi/Bengali, Punjabi), Palaapazham (Tamil). Jackfruit is the national fruit of Bangladesh and Indonesia.

Jackfruit can be found fresh at Thai or South-East Asian grocers. Ripe and green jackfruit are easily available in the canned form in South Asian and South East Asian stores.

To participate in this event:

1. Prepare a dish with this ingredient, and post it on your blog in the month of May. The choice of recipe is not restricted to Indian cuisine.

2. Please link to this event announcement, and feel free to use this logo:

3. Please send us an e-mail notifying us of your entry at jugalbandee@gmail.com

Please use “JFI” to denote the subject matter.

4. If you do have a picture, please enclose it in 450 x 225 pixel size with your e-mail.

5. If you are a non-blogger, please send your recipe and picture with your e-mail.

6. The deadline for this event is June 1, 2007. The round-up will be posted by June 3.

We look forward to your creative contributions.

- Jai and Bee

Update (June 3, 2007): ROUNDUP HERE.

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83 Comments so far

  1. Ranjani on May 2, 2007 9:23 pm

    i have never made anything from jackfruit . I have just eaten the fruit in India. I have not tasted it for the past 10 yrs.. Looking fwd to all the recipes :)
    where do u buy jackfruit from ?? i mean over here ..frozen or fresh ? in indian grocery shops?

  2. Ranjani on May 2, 2007 9:24 pm

    sorry ..just read ur last line abt where its available..sheesh i should read fully before posting..

  3. Manisha on May 2, 2007 9:36 pm

    Oh dear.

  4. maneka nirmal on May 2, 2007 9:42 pm

    ente bee…. where do i go to find jack fruit?

    try a thai or indonesian store for fresh, or any indian or southeast asian store for canned - green or ripe. - b

  5. Indira on May 2, 2007 9:44 pm

    Dear Bee and Jai,

    Finally! What a fine choice for Jihva! I am happy to see the gentle giant of the fruit kingdom getting its due.

    Thanks very much for hosting “June Jackfruit Jihva at Jugalbandi”. The first letter is the same, and the title sounds catchy.:) I look forward to participating.

    - Indira

  6. roopa on May 2, 2007 9:49 pm

    oh Bee what a choice wonderfull!, just today i had prepared jackfuit iddilis but no photo too bad…. Will try to post before time!

  7. beens on May 2, 2007 9:56 pm

    my fav :)other than mangoes of course!.i wish someone would post chakka varatti recipe and picture:)ohh there is more!! chakka ada!!chakka halwa!payasam!!man,i wish i was in kerala now:(

  8. Santhi on May 2, 2007 10:10 pm

    oh my god…chakka !! thats a real tough one, guys…:-)

  9. Reena on May 2, 2007 10:29 pm

    Oh dear! where will I find Jackfruit? You know where I live :( I will dig it out from somewhere before June 1st. I hope :roll: :roll:

    Btw wonderful choice! Looking forward for some yummo dishes.

  10. Sushma on May 2, 2007 10:32 pm

    If I get a Jackfruit in asian grocery store i would definitely participate..

  11. musical on May 2, 2007 11:28 pm

    Jackfruit…..finally we can see this post :) the one that was alluring everyone in the feed readers ;)

    i love Jackfruit, i really wish i can find some fresh green jackfruit. This is a great choice for Jihva for Ingredients.

  12. Meeta on May 2, 2007 11:58 pm

    Oh BEE! IIn all my 14 years in Germany I have never seen a Jackfruit here!!! Not even in the Indian/Asian store half an hour drive from here. Looks like I have to sit this one out ;-(
    And I was sooo looking forward to taking part in this as you were the gracious hostess.

  13. sia on May 3, 2007 1:01 am

    wohoooo…. very unexpected but superb choice for JFI. guess i have to use canned ones as i have never seen fresh ones here… wait a sec… i have heard of some kerala shop in manchester. i guess i will have to butter my hubby to take me there ;)

  14. Nags on May 3, 2007 3:06 am

    Hello!

    I am thinking of starting a new portal to host simple and easy-to-prepare recipes. This is mainly for bachelors/bachelorettes who may not have the time and the necessary utensils to prepare anything elaborate.

    Please do contribute. For more details, I have made a post on this at:

    http://cookingandme.blogspot.com/2007/05/portal-for-simple-cooking.html

    Err.. does this comment look like spam? :O It really is not! Also, tell me what you think about the idea and better ideas of how I can go about this, if any.

  15. InjiPennu on May 3, 2007 3:29 am

    hahahahah! What a choice bee! Well done! Bravo! You have some guts!

    This one, I have to participate!

  16. Nupur on May 3, 2007 4:03 am

    Hmm…this is going to be a tough one for me too :) The one jackfruit recipe I like, I already have posted. My favorite way to eat jackfruit: ripe, just by itself. But I’m excited to see what everyone else makes!

  17. Anjali on May 3, 2007 4:43 am

    Jackfruit! Nupur I agree we marathis don’t have too many recipes. So I’m going to beg, borrow, remake.

  18. Nav on May 3, 2007 5:18 am

    First time around here, came here through FB Desam. That’s a challenging choice; is it ok to post something with the jackfruit seeds ? Please let me know.

    Cheers,
    Nav

  19. Asha on May 3, 2007 6:06 am

    Holy mother of GOD woman!!!!

    I know many recipes of raw Jackfruit but where do I go to get it?!

    I am out of JFI this month!!!!:(

  20. jai bee on May 3, 2007 6:33 am

    i’ve edited the original post to add some links. meeta, do you have vietnamese stores? try them. - bee

  21. Coffee on May 3, 2007 6:36 am

    Maya!!!!! Illusion!!!!!! :P

    Nothing from me as well :( Me and my hubby both run away from the mere smell of it!!!!!

    what kind of south indian are you, coffee? ;-)

  22. aruna on May 3, 2007 7:12 am

    HI,

    Wonderful choice i always wondered what can you make out of jackfruit, i have two to three cans of green jackfruit
    in my pantry but always hesitant to try something out of it. Now i have a chance and i would like to participate as well.

  23. Hema on May 3, 2007 7:24 am

    Coffee is a not south Indian, but I sure am bee!!…And I cannot live peacefully with a jackfruit in the vicinity. Sorry:(

    coffee is south indian. check her blog of late, and my complaints to her. :-D

  24. Priya on May 3, 2007 7:52 am

    hmmm…the moment I saw jackfruit..I thought WHAT…Oh Nooo !! But I am going to try and look for them now..I haven’t eaten them since I came here to the US and this might just be the push to go find them out…its sure going to be a treasure hunt ;-)

  25. sandeepa on May 3, 2007 8:03 am

    Beeeeeeee…I already blogged about the jackfruit dish I know , for you I have to try something again!!! Can I cook it again and post the photo with a link to the older recipe ?

    You are right canned green jackfruit is easily and cheaply available at least in NJ

    But that pic, do you have a garden like Inji or what ? beautiful pic

    that’s my uncle’s garden in kerala. c’mon sandeepa, you can concoct something new. i know it will be fabulous. if you can’t, send the old one. - b.

  26. sandeepa on May 3, 2007 8:04 am

    CHAKOH brand Jackfruit is also avilable from Amazon, so even if you guys have no stores but just the laptop from where you blog, you can get it :)

  27. Suganya on May 3, 2007 9:11 am

    Oh Dear!! I dread visiting the Chinese store here. I will have to hold my breath till I reach the last aisle which is the Indian food aisle. But this one is too good to pass. Lets see how brave I am!!!

    LOL here. I am not the only one !! When I was in the bay area - whenever I went to the chinese store I’d first rush to the incense sticks aisle. I would grab the most fragrant one. Find one which does not have any plastic wrapping around them. Longer ones are better because you can discreetly rest them vertically while pushing the cart so that they would reach atleast to your chin - works better when you slip open the cover slightly !Then you can safely walk around the store inhaling the fragrance of your choice. Try this. It never failed me - although b would refuse to walk next to me as she was certain that I was not being discreet enough and hence was too embarrassed. I couldn’t care less as they were getting my business one way or the other. –Jai

  28. mandira on May 3, 2007 9:16 am

    very interesting choice! I’m glad I haven’t posted the only jackfruit recipe I know ;)

  29. Sig on May 3, 2007 9:19 am

    Hey nice….. love this theme. I actually found fresh green jackfruit in the Asian market and an Indian store last week…

  30. Manasi on May 3, 2007 9:47 am

    Oh B!!! jackfruit!! :( I haven’t eaten one for…. gosh, I forgot how long!! the smell was too overpowering for me! I hope I can get some in the Indian store here, AND EVEN MANAGE TO GET A RECIPE… else will hv to be a silent spectator for this JFI :((

  31. Sreelu on May 3, 2007 10:06 am

    Bee & Jay,

    You guys push the enevelope, not only are you making me drool looking at your gif of jackfruit now I have get my brain working on a recipe. I am very excited to learn about how this fruit is cooked else where.

    Great choice for JFI

  32. Trupti on May 3, 2007 10:37 am

    Cute Graphic for JFI…I like that color.
    I’ll pass this on this one…Bee, I live in the Far Eastern corner of nowhere, finding this will be near impossible….and I can’t take the smell - not right now.

    Will wait to see your roundup though. ;)

    i’ll send you some, ask kartik to cook it. how about that? - b.

  33. Swapna on May 3, 2007 10:41 am

    Hmmm..this seems like an interesting and challenging JFI..Now, begins my quest to find some jackfruit and then find a good recipe:)

  34. RP on May 3, 2007 10:55 am

    Sigh!
    That means I will have to be a little adventurous..

    Never cooked with jackfruits, bee. :)

  35. Mathy Kandasamy on May 3, 2007 11:37 am

    Yum!

    I cannot get fresh jackfruit here. :( Well, I could. But, just the sight of those wilted wedges remind me of the huge jackfruits I enjoyed.

    I vaguely remember a Sinhalese dish. Have to hunt for it. :)

    BTW, can we cook with Jackfruit seeds?

    -Mathy

    yeah. jackfruit seeds are the best. - b.

  36. Suma Gandlur on May 3, 2007 12:51 pm

    I checked your website on may 1st for Jihva announcement. When there was no such thing,I went to mahanandi and by mistake, I thought you are doing the event in june.:)
    A can of jackfruit is lying in my kitchen. The only problem is I don’t know anything to cook with it except eating them happily. Has to search on web and post a borrowed recipe.

  37. ‘O’ is for Olan » jugalbandi on May 3, 2007 8:34 pm

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  38. pelicano on May 3, 2007 9:56 pm

    Bee and Jai-
    You two sure picked a “crowd-divider” :-) I think it will be memorable, and VERY interesting to see the results! On my part, I commend the choice!

    I’ve only just begun to acquire the taste for this fruit, but it’s going well. I’ve made only a payasam from the ripe fruit so far- attained from a Thai grocer nearby. This will be challenging for me! :-)

    BTW Jai………. what is it in the Chinoiserie that you found offensive in odour? Dried little shrimpies? Mushrooms? And Bee- that’s so cute! :-)

    your questions answered here. http://jugalbandi.info/2007/05/o-is-for-olan/ ;-) - j.

  39. Rachna on May 4, 2007 12:41 am

    Hi Jay and Bee,

    at first I was like, oh no, kathal!!! But then I know I have spotted some good ones in our asian stores here in Africa.

    Why is everyone talking about the smell, to me, I just dont have to guts to peel and chop it, with my hands and knife getting super stiiiiiiiicky… I never seen any canned ones around.

    I remember having kathal ki sabzi in delhi and chakka thoran in kerala, will really have to brave this one and give it a shot…. hope i can make it!!!!

  40. sumitha on May 4, 2007 5:43 am

    Hi Bee and Jai!I am very late in visiting you guys.I read through some of your previous posts and they are very informative and interesting.I loved the fact you choose something for Jihva which really set everyone thinking.Thats the best part of it.I have no clue myself what to prepare out of the ripe ones I have seen in the Indian store here,except for chakka varatti i have seen in some blogs.But i am still glad with your choice:)

  41. archana on May 4, 2007 7:10 am

    I am not a food blogger but now I am itching to participate in this JFI. I love Jackfruit. In my family in India I was known to polish an entire fruit with about 30 pieces of fruit in it. Yes, over the top and I paid for the gluttony the next day. So worth it.

    So if I get my act together, I will do something and send your way. I have ideas!

    Archana

    please do, archana. glad to see you here.

  42. Deepa on May 4, 2007 9:42 am

    I will surely participate in this Bee…Wow !!!!never cooked jackfruit after coming to US ..Will surely try it this time and enter into ur contest …

  43. Sharmi on May 4, 2007 10:14 am

    I made the frozen jackfruit once but did not come out well. now for you I have to do one more experiment with the canned ones!!

  44. Revathi on May 4, 2007 2:02 pm

    Hi Bee
    I dont use canned fruits/veggies. I dont really see myself using those at all. There is one malabar indian store near us and they might carry fresh jack fruits occasionally. I will try it out just for you :) :)

  45. InjiPennu on May 4, 2007 2:39 pm

    Ah! Why is everybody being so sissy? :) :)
    Whats the challenge in just cooking with a normal ingredient?? Wont it be soooo great to hunt them down and think of something new and cook! Go Jack fruit! :-) Go bloggers! ooo! I cant wait for the round up!

  46. Irises » jugalbandi on May 4, 2007 9:54 pm

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  47. Meeta on May 5, 2007 12:41 am

    Bee thanks for the tip. Will have to find visit our Fiji market - it’s what the Vietnamese stores are called here. I have no idea why!

  48. Linda on May 5, 2007 3:15 am

    Oh goody… I can’t wait! :)

  49. Jyothsna on May 7, 2007 9:17 am

    What a fabulous choice!!! Transports me into those childhood summer vacations when the chakka was cut from the tree on our arrival and we’d help cutting it up, munching away all the time…..

  50. Kay on May 8, 2007 2:02 pm

    Aha! Is this why I suddenly got an impulse to buy a tin of jackfruit a few days back? :)

    This time, I’m in. I’ll try to make something out of that soon and post it on my blog before I forget.

  51. Seena on May 9, 2007 7:18 am

    Dear Bee,
    Thanks for adding me in your blog roll..plan to participate in your jack fruit event..what a nice blog you have!pictures are informative..

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  53. G on May 11, 2007 2:56 am

    Jackfruit, must be a relative to the breadfruit or…? Is breadfruit common food in India?

    yes…they are cousins. bread fruit is eaten a lot in kerala and some parts of tamil nadu (jackfruit is called chakka and breadfruit is called kadachakka)

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  56. viji on May 16, 2007 2:33 pm

    Good choice!!!Count me in…….:-)

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