Jackfruit

Jackfruit
Jackfruit
Jackfruit tree with fruit
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Rosids
Order: Rosales
Family: Moraceae
Tribe: Artocarpeae
Genus: Artocarpus
Species: A. heterophyllus
Binomial name
Artocarpus heterophyllus
Lam.
Synonyms
  • Artocarpus brasililenis L. ex Carl Linnaeus
  • Artocarpus heterophylla Lam. ex Lamarck
  • Artocarpus maxixma Blanco. ex Blancoi

The jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus)[1] is a species of tree in the Artocarpus genus of the mulberry family (Moraceae). It is native to parts of Southern and Southeast Asia. It is the national fruit of Bangladesh, (locally called Kathal). The jackfruit tree is believed to be indigenous to the southwestern rain forests of India. It is widely cultivated in tropical regions of the Indian subcontinent,Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia. Jackfruit is also found in East Africa, e.g., in Uganda and Mauritius, as well as throughout Brazil and Caribbean nations like Jamaica. It is well suited to tropical lowlands, and its fruit is the largest tree-born fruit,[2] reaching 80 pounds (36 kg) in weight and up to 36 inches (90 cm) long and 20 inches (50 cm) in diameter.[3]

Contents

Etymology and names

Jackfruit tree

The name "zong kaa" is derived from the Portuguese Jaca,[4] which in turn, is derived from the Malayalam language term, Chakka.[5] The fruit is popularly known as Katahar (कटहर) in Nepali, Kanthal (কাঁঠাল) in Bengali, kathal or kata-hal in Hindi or Phanas (फणस) in Marathi,Panasa(पनस) in Sanskrit,PaNasa(ପଣସ) in Oriya, halasina haNNu in Kannada. The Portuguese first arrived in India at Kozhikode (Calicut) on the Malabar Coast (Kerala) in 1498. The Malayalam name Chakka was recorded by Hendrik van Rheede (1678–1703) in the Hortus Malabaricus, vol. iii in Latin. Henry Yule translated the book in Jordanus Catalani's (1678–1703) Mirabilia Descripta: The Wonders of the East.[6]

In southeast Asia, it is called "Mít" in Vietnamese, "nangka" in Malay, "kanun" in Thai, and "langka" in Tagalog.

The common English name jackfruit is a name used by the physician and naturalist Garcia de Orta in his 1563 book Colóquios dos simples e drogas da India.[7][8] A botanist, Ralph Randles Stewart suggests that it was named after William Jack (1795–1822), a Scottish botanist who worked for the East India Company in Bengal, Sumatra and Malaysia.[9] This is apocryphal as the fruit was called a "Jack" in English before William Jack was born: for instance, in Dampier's 1699 book, A new voyage round the world.[10]

Cultivation and ecology

Jackfruit opened
Jackfruit at Kerala, India

The jackfruit has played a significant role in Indian agriculture for centuries. Archeological findings in India have revealed that jackfruit was cultivated in India 3000 to 6000 years ago[citation needed]. Varahamihira, the Indian astronomer, mathematician, and astrologer, mentioned jackfruit trees (Sanskrit panasa पनस ) in his Brhat Samhita.[11] His treatise includes a specific reference on grafting to be performed on trees such as jackfruit.[12] Maturing in 35–40 years, their wood can be used for furniture. The gum from this tree is used to repair small holes in pots. In Kerala (India), Jackfruit trees support the Black Pepper vine, which is a climber. Thus, the trunks of jackfruit trees of Kerala are usually covered with the dark green leaves of the pepper vine cultivated by the farmers.

Illustration of the size of jackfruit. The leaves of the Black Pepper vine on the tree also can be seen

The jackfruit is considered an invasive species in Brazil, especially in the Tijuca Forest National Park in Rio de Janeiro. The Tijuca forest is mostly an artificial secondary forest, whose planting began during the mid-nineteenth century, and jackfruit trees have been a part of the park's flora since its founding. Recently, the species expanded excessively, due to the fact that its fruits, once they had naturally fallen to the ground and opened, were eagerly eaten by small mammals such as the common marmoset and the coati. The seeds are dispersed by these animals, which allows the jackfruit to compete for space with native tree-species. Additionally, as the marmoset and coati also prey opportunistically on bird's eggs and nestlings, the supply of jackfruit as a ready source of food has allowed them to expand their populations, to the detriment of the local bird population. Between 2002 and 2007, 55,662 jackfruit saplings were destroyed in the Tijuca Forest area in a deliberate culling effort by the park's management.[13]

Commercial availability

Outside of its countries of origin, fresh jackfruit can be found at Asian food markets, especially in the Philippines. It is also extensively cultivated in the Brazilian coastal region, where it is sold in local markets. It is available canned in sugar syrup, or frozen. Dried jackfruit chips are produced by various manufacturers. In northern Australia, particularly in Darwin, Australia, jackfruit can be found at outdoor produce markets during the dry season. Outside of countries where it is grown, jackfruit can be obtained year-round both canned or dried. It has a ripening season in Asia of late Spring to late Summer.[14]

Jackfruit depicted by the Polish Jesuit Michał Boym in his Flora Sinensis (1656)

Jackfruit

The flesh of the jackfruit is starchy, fibrous and is a source of dietary fiber. The flavour is similar to a tart banana. Varieties of jackfruit are distinguished according to the characteristics of the fruits' flesh. In Brazil, three varieties are recognized. These are: jaca-dura, or "hard" variety, which has firm flesh and the largest fruits that can weigh between 15 and 40 kilograms each; jaca-mole, or "soft" variety, which bears smaller fruits, with softer and sweeter flesh; and jaca-manteiga, or "butter" variety, which bears sweet fruits, whose flesh has a consistency intermediate between the "hard" and "soft" varieties.[15]

In Kerala, two varieties of jackfruit predominate: varikka and kuzha. Varikka has slightly hard inner flesh when ripe, while the inner flesh of the ripe kuzha fruit is very soft and almost dissolving. A sweet preparation called Chakka Varattiyathu is made by seasoning the Varikka fruit flesh pieces in jaggery, which can be preserved and used for many months. Huge jackfruits up to 4 feet in length with matching girth are sometimes seen in Kerala. In Mangalore, Karnataka the varieties are called bakke and imba. The pulp of the imba jackruit is ground and is made into a paste. It is then spread over a mat and is allowed to dry in the sun to create a natural chewy candy.

Dishes and preparations

Young jackfruit

Jackfruit is commonly used in South and Southeast Asian cuisines.[16] It can be eaten unripe (young) when cooked, or ripe uncooked.[16] The seeds may be boiled or baked like beans. The leaves are used as a wrapping for steamed idlis.

Young fruit

The young fruit is called Polos in Sri Lanka. It is a dish with spices to replace meat curries in Sri Lankan and eastern-Indian (Bengali) cuisine. The skin of unripe (young) jack fruit must be pared first and discarded and then the whole fruit can be chopped into edible portions and cooked to be eaten. The raw young fruit is not edible.[16] Young jackfruit has a mild flavour and distinctive poultry-like texture. The cuisines of India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Cambodia, and Vietnam use cooked young jackfruit.[16] In Indonesia, young jackfruit is cooked with coconut milk as gudeg. In many cultures, jackfruit is boiled and used in curries as a staple food[17]

Jackfruit chips

In the Philippines it is cooked with coconut milk (Ginataang langka)

Ripe fruit

Ripe jackfruit is naturally sweet with subtle flavouring. It can be used to make a variety of dishes including custards,[18] cakes, halo-halo and more. Ripe jackfruit arils are sometimes seeded, fried or freeze-dried and sold as jackfruit chips.

Seed

Seeds from ripe fruits are edible, it has to be boiled salt flavoured about 25 minutes. Milky, sweet taste. In many parts of India, roasted salted seed is also eaten and considered a delicacy.

Wood

The wood of the tree is used for the production of musical instruments. In Indonesia it forms part of the gamelan and in the Philippines, its soft wood is made into the hull of a kutiyapi, a type of Philippine boat lute. It is also used to make the body of the Indian string instrument Veena and the drums Mridangam and Kanjira, the Golden yellow coloured timber with good grains is used for building furniture and house construction in India. The ornated wooden plank called Avani Palaka made of the wood of Jackfruit tree is used as the priest's seat during Hindu ceremonies in Kerala.

Jackfruit wood is widely used in the manufacture of furniture, doors and windows, and in roof construction. The heartwood of the jackfruit tree is used by Buddhist forest monastics in Southeast Asia as a dye, giving the robes of the monks in those traditions their distinctive light brown color.[19]

Cultural significance

The Jackfruit is one of the three auspicious fruits of Tamil Nadu, along with the mango and banana known as the mukkani (முக்கணி). It is also the national fruit of Bangladesh.[20]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Artocarpus heterophyllus". 2006-10. http://www.tropical-biology.org/research/dip/species/Artocarpus%20heterophyllus.htm. Retrieved 2010-06-21. 
  2. ^ "Jackfruit, Breadfruit & Relatives". http://www.proscitech.com.au/trop/j.htm. Retrieved 2010-06-21. 
  3. ^ "Jackfruit". http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/jackfruit.html. Retrieved 2010-06-21. 
  4. ^ "jackfruits". merriam-webster.com. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jackfruits. Retrieved 2010-06-21. 
  5. ^ T. Pradeepkumar, Kumar, Pradeep. Management of Horticultural Crops: Vol.11 Horticulture Science Series, page 81: "The English name jackfruit is derived from Portuguese jaca, which is derived from Malayalam chakka."
  6. ^ Mirabilia descripta : the wonders of the East. Archive.org. Retrieved on 2011-10-17.
  7. ^ Oxford English Dictionary, Second Edition, 1989, online edition
  8. ^ Anon. (2000) The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition.
  9. ^ Ralph R Stewart (1984). "How Did They Die?". Taxon 33 (1): 48–52. 
  10. ^ William Dampier (1699). A new voyage round the world. J. Knapton. p. 320. http://books.google.com/books?id=adsNAAAAQAAJ&pg=RA2-PA320. Retrieved 17 October 2011. 
  11. ^ See the Sanskrit text of chapter 54, at the GRETIL repository of Sanskrit texts.
  12. ^ Science in India with Special Reference to Agriculture P.M. Tamboli and Y.L. Nene
  13. ^ Livia de Almeida, "Guerra contra as jaqueiras" ("War on Jackfruit"), Revista Veja Rio, May the 5th.2007; see also [1]
  14. ^ Jackfruit. Hort.purdue.edu. Retrieved on 2011-10-17.
  15. ^ General information, Department of Agriculture, State of Bahia. seagri.ba.gov.br (in Portuguese)
  16. ^ a b c d The encyclopedia of fruit & nuts, By Jules Janick, Robert E. Paull, pp.481–485
  17. ^ "Jackfruit Coconut Curry". http://www.jackfruitrecipes.info/jackfruitcoconutcurry.html. 
  18. ^ "Jackfruit Custard". http://www.jackfruitrecipes.info/jackfruitcustard.html. 
  19. ^ Forest Monks and the Nation-state: An Anthropological and Historical Study in Northeast Thailand J.L. Taylor 1993 p. 218
  20. ^ Subrahmanian N, Hikosaka S, Samuel GJ (1997). Tamil social history. p. 88. http://books.google.com.au/books?id=PXXsAAAAIAAJ&q=triad+of+famous+auspicious+fruits&dq=triad+of+famous+auspicious+fruits. Retrieved March 23, 2010. 

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • jackfruit — [jak′fro͞ot΄] n. [ JACK + FRUIT] 1. an East Indian tree (Artocarpus integrifolia) of the mulberry family, like the breadfruit 2. its large, heavy fruit, containing edible seeds 3. its yellow, fine grained wood …   English World dictionary

  • jackfruit — UK [ˈdʒækˌfruːt] / US [ˈdʒækˌfrut] noun Word forms jackfruit : singular jackfruit plural jackfruits a) [countable] a large tree that produces large fruit and grows mainly in tropical parts of Asia b) [countable/uncountable] a piece of fruit from… …   English dictionary

  • jackfruit — noun Etymology: Portuguese jaca jackfruit, from Malayalam cakka Date: 1830 a large tropical Asian tree (Artocarpus heterophyllus) related to the breadfruit that yields a fine grained yellow wood and immense fruits which contain an edible pulp and …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • jackfruit — /jak frooht /, n. 1. a large, tropical, milky juiced tree, Artocarpus heterophyllus, of the mulberry family, having stiff and glossy green leaves, cultivated for its very large, edible fruit and seeds. 2. the fruit of this tree, which may weigh… …   Universalium

  • jackfruit — jack|fruit [ dʒæk,frut ] noun count a large tree that produces large fruit and grows mainly in tropical parts of Asia a. count or uncount a piece of fruit from the jackfruit tree …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • jackfruit — n. large tropical Asian tree that looks like a breadfruit; huge edible fruit of the jackfruit tree …   English contemporary dictionary

  • jackfruit — indinis duonmedis statusas T sritis vardynas apibrėžtis Šilkmedinių šeimos medieninis augalas (Artocarpus integer), paplitęs atogrąžų Azijoje, kitur – auginamas. Jo vaisiai ir sėklos valgomi. atitikmenys: lot. Artocarpus champeden; Artocarpus… …   Lithuanian dictionary (lietuvių žodynas)

  • jackfruit — stambusis duonmedis statusas T sritis vardynas apibrėžtis Šilkmedinių šeimos medieninis augalas (Artocarpus heterophyllus), paplitęs atogrąžų Azijoje, kitur – auginamas. Jo vaisiai ir sėklos valgomi. atitikmenys: lot. Artocarpus heterophyllus;… …   Lithuanian dictionary (lietuvių žodynas)

  • Jackfruit Homestay — (Хойан,Вьетнам) Категория отеля: Адрес: Tran Nhan Tong street, Thanh Nam Hamlet …   Каталог отелей

  • Jackfruit chips — (Chakka vattal in Malayalam) is deep fried chakka chula (edible white yellow part of jackfruit that covers the seeds) in coconut oil.PreparationIts preparation is similar to the preparation of banana chips …   Wikipedia

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