The jack fruit is an exotic fruit almost unknown in Italy although he would undoubtedly deserve greater fame for his nutritional qualities. His majestic plant is called artocarpus heterophyllus and is found mainly in Australia and in Southeast Asia, it is native to India. In Italy, there would be the terms giaca, giaco, jako or catala but today the English word jackfruit is mostly used without any translation.
The fruit attracts attention with its huge size: the diameter reaches even half a meter and the weight of the “giaco” alone reaches 25 kg , and it is interesting for its delicate and fruity flavor. It can therefore be classified among the gigantic fruits, it is probably the largest ever present on an evergreen tree with an erect stem. Pumpkins also grow very large, but they are creeping plants.
Lately jack fruit has been rediscovered for vegetarian food In fact, it can be a good substitute for meat, both nutritionally and taste-wise. The “fruit jarrete”, a vegetable substitute for pulled pork, is of particular importance.
Contents [Ocultar]
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The plant: Artocarpus heterophyllus
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How to eat: recipes and ideas
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What does jackfruit taste like?
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How to clean a hot tub
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The vegan pulled the fruit from the tree
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other recipes
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nutritional properties
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where to buy hyacinth
Contents
The plant: Artocarpus heterophyllus
Jack fruit is produced from a plant called artocarpus heterophyllus a tree that belongs to the Moraceae family, as well as other fruit trees better known to us such as the fig tree and the mulberry tree.
He is one of the tallest trees in the world , we have already talked about the size of the single fruit, which can weigh 25 or 30 kg, obviously the plant is also the right size, with a very strong stem and branches, to support the extraordinary harvest it produces. The root apparatus in the same way, because it must support this structure, is imposing and goes deep into the subsoil.
The genus artocarpus is that of breadfruit or panassa , several other exotic fruit trees belong to this family. A curiosity: these plants have been described in the books of Emilio Salgari, for example in The Mysteries of the Black Forest, they speak of “giaccheri” trees, also the singer-songwriter Gian Maria Testa mentions the artocarp in a song called “The Bread Tree”.
Growing jackfruit in Italy
The artocarp and in general the panasse are tropical plants , accustomed to mild climates, do not tolerate the cold winters of our latitudes and for this reason in Italy they would only be grown in a heated greenhouse. Being one of the tallest trees in the world, it is clear that the cost of building and heating a greenhouse would end up being prohibitive, so there are no jackfruit trees in Italian agriculture .
Although we cannot cultivate the plant, however, out of curiosity it is possible to give birth to young seedlings of jackfruit . You should know that they will suffer from the first cold weather and that the leaves will yellow easily because of mineral deficiencies in the soil. These are plants that have different needs in nutritional microelements.
How to eat: recipes and ideas
When it comes to a tropical fruit there is always a very amusing moment of discovery, we are faced with something new… What to do?
The jackfruit is not yet well known in Italy to find many resources on the web that explain how to cook this strange fruit, those who know English can certainly find something else on foreign sites, but it can be useful some ideas on how to prepare it and in which recipes it can be used .
A first suggestion is to try a piece as it is, to realize its flavor and do not hesitate to “create” in the kitchen as you wish, I will try to give some ideas.
We have before us a truly versatile food: it can be eaten raw or cooked, in sweet or savory preparations . Certainly its protein value makes it a perfect “vegetable meat”, so you can decide to make it the main course of a good vegetarian meal. The very ripe fruit is more suitable for desserts, while if picked green it is less sweet and lends itself to “salty” use.
What does jackfruit taste like?
It is never easy to put the aroma of a fruit into words for someone who has never tasted it, so the first piece of advice I can give you is to buy Jackfruit and try it. yourself. Although I do not know any Italian fruit, it is not difficult to find some to import, thanks to the web.
Taste jackfruit is very delicate it can therefore be cooked in several ways, so it has a neutral and slightly sweet flavor , with an aftertaste reminiscent of other exotic fruits such as lychee and pineapple. Note the fairly soft texture of the meat, which however has a “body” of fibers.
Cooked and flavored can approach a pig obviously without any real meat flavor, which is why it is used in vegan foods.
How to clean a hot tub
If you are lucky enough to find a whole fruit, the first thing to do is… Invite friends.
In reality once opened it does not keep for long and therefore it is better to be numerous to face the enormous mass of the fruit.
In any case, to prepare it, it is necessary peel by removing its yellow outer envelope, then , after cutting the fruit in half. Be careful because the interior is very sticky .
if desired the seeds are also edible boiled or grilled.
Vegetarian pulled jackfruit
Pulled pork is a tasty meat, often used in sandwiches. A similar effect can be achieved saute the jackfruit cut into long, thin pieces, with seasonings. It is best to start cooking with a fried onion, add our exotic fruits and then season with sauces to taste. The use of a little tomato sauce and especially barbecue sauce it’s excellent. like spices sweet or smoked paprika a pinch of spice and cumin are really good.
other recipes
Jackfruit is good to eat served with white yogurt and honey like a super energy breakfast.
You can also decide to cook it like a celebrate with couscous , in a whole new ethnic dish. In this case, the recipe will be similar to horse mackerel, combining ethnic spices such as curry or masala vegetables, and combining other vegetables (peppers, zucchini, carrots or chickpeas).
The cube can be used in salads, similar to avocado .
In the countries of origin, the jako is fermented to obtain an alcoholic drink.
nutritional properties
Jackfruit can be considered as “super food” , because it has excellent nutritional qualities and useful properties for our body. In reality, the superfood concept is fashionable, but it is not very respectful of natural complexity: if we look closely, practically all fruits have elements that make them interesting, our catala or jackfruit does not no exception.
First you have low calorie about one per gram and a good amount of fiber which can help the bowel and colon.
The fundamental characteristic is the high protein content , which is very rare in fruits. A jackfruit guarantees about three times the protein content of a normal exotic fruit. It’s not for nothing that vegans use it as a meat substitute.
What makes jako really valuable is also the content of minerals and vitamins, and its richness in antioxidants . A special mention for potassium, magnesium and vitamin C, all very important elements for maintaining good health. It is useful against fatigue, to fight against free radicals, responsible for cell aging, and to control blood sugar.
There are no particular contraindications When eating jackfruit, as with any new food introduced, you just need to watch out for possible allergic reactions. Of course, overdoing it is not a good idea, and given the size of the fruit, you can’t say “eat just one”.
Where to buy tree fruit
If you go to a greengrocer and ask for a kilo of jackfruit, he’ll probably look at you weirdly, he probably won’t even know what it is. Even on supermarket shelves it will not be easy to find this extraordinary exotic fruit.
If you want to try on the jacket, you should rather search the web , which gives you several options. Of course, it is not easy, because transporting fresh fruit to your home can become very expensive. Moreover, given the size of a normal family an entire spa would be a waste : you should only eat it for days if you don’t want to throw it away.
Excellent solution for buy canned fruit canned or in jars, which retains its flavor very well, is convenient to transport and also to use.
Here are some suggestions:
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Canned jackfruit, in the Amazon.
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Canned dried fruits, glass jar ( advised ).
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Dried fruit.
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Jackfruit pulp vegetables.
I would definitely recommend the glass jar with Jacquier as value for money. The preparation is nothing more than 100% jackfruit and makes you pay for the idea and the packaging, the dried fruits are much less good and very expensive.