Jackfruit, the giant of fruits

S Balakrishnan *

With the arrival of scorching summer my wife starts nagging me to buy at least one whole jackfruit. 'You cut it, I eat it', she says coolly while I fight with the bulky jackfruit; its sticky resin making the whole effort a nasty and messy experience. But the end result is so sweet which proves the saying 'no sweat, no sweet'.

The whole jackfruit is a wholesome experience, she would cook. Though summer is a worrying factor, the arrival of seasonal fruits along with it is a welcome factor. Fruits like Mango, the King of Fruits, Jackfruit, the Giant of Fruits, varieties of melons, cucumbers, sugarcane juice, tender coconut, palmyrah nut & juice, etc., are indeed a blessing in disguise.

While jackfruit is native to tropical Asia, one may wonder why it is given the Western name 'Jack'! Remember the nursery rhyme "Jack & Jill went up the hill …"? Well, the truth is jackfruit is called 'chakka pazham' in Malayalam (Kerala). So when the Portuguese landed in the Malabar Coast (Kozhicode/Calicut) of Kerala in 1499, they called it 'jaca'. No wonder the Western tongue twisted it to 'Jack' fruit.

Incidentally, mango is derived from the Tamil word 'maangaai'. 'Pazham' means fruit in both Tamil and Malayalam languages. Some claim that the Western Ghats Mountains that spread across South India are the home of jackfruit trees.

The evergreen Jackfruit tree belongs to the Moraceae family and its botanical name is Artocarpus heterophyllus, as tough as the fruit itself. The evergreen jackfruit tree is also found in Africa and South America also. Among fruits, jackfruit is credited as the biggest tree-borne fruit.

Jackfruit is the State Fruit of Tamil Nadu and Kerala states and the national fruit of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

There is one variety of jackfruit where fruits grow around the base of the tree, so it is called root jackfruit. During my wanderings in Andaman Islands (1978-80), I noticed a mouth-watering scene of a Jackfruit tree at Naya Saagar village near Dhanikhari dam; maybe the settlers had introduced it.

While the ripe jackfruit is consumed fresh and in various forms as cooked delicacies, even the unripe jack is used as a vegetable and the seed is also cooked and consumed. In addition, it is also canned/processed for off-season consumption. It is considered as a good meat substitute also.

The timber is as valued as teak and is used for furniture, house building and musical instruments. Jackfruit has fiber, some protein, vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals that have health benefits, and very little fat.

Jackfruit tree can reach a height of 70 ft. I was astonished to see such a tall jackfruit tree competing with a mobile tower in Gudalur in Western Ghats. When the bark is peeled, resin oozes out, like in the rubber tree. Leaves are thick.

Nature has devised its flowers emanate directly from the trunk and branches so that the weight of the heavy jackfruits can be borne till the end; matured fruits reach a size of 2 ft and weigh as much 20 kg and more.

Jackfruit is associated with Tamil culture and tradition since time immemorial. It is called 'palaa' in Tamil and finds several mentions in the Sangham literature of 2000 years ago. So no wonder I found two sculptures in two different temples – a monkey feasting on a whole jackfruit and a devotee carrying it as a head load to offer to the deity.

Jackfruit is one of the holy trinity of fruits of Tamil Nadu, the other two being mango and banana. They are hailed as 'muk kani' (three fruits). All these three fruits are available during summer though bananas are available year-round. A rough & tough looking person with a soft heart is compared to a jackfruit with a tough coat and sweet core.

Despite the sugar level wavering at the border, my wife is tempted to swallow the jackfruit peels one after another, every time promising 'this is my last piece'! She being an expert backseat driver, this time I connived to rope her also in the messy task of cutting and cleaning the jackfruit.

First we spread a plastic sheet and upon it old newspaper sheets, lest the floor be dirtied and the maid scowled at us. Applying gingelly /coconut oil on our fingers and the knives, we launched the battle with the fruit.

After a back-breaking one hour, the battle was won but the tough task of cleaning our fingers, the knives, plates and vessels stared at us.

I really envy the street side jackfruit vendors who do this cutting & cleaning job as an artistic venture and as well display the jackfruit as a master showpiece!

Hearing me lament 'I am a Jack of all trades but master of none', my wife has ordered me to be their apprentice for this jackfruit season!