The jackfruit (Artocarpus heteropyllus) originated in India at the foot of the Western Ghats, and is now very popular throughout South East Asia. Elsewhere in humid tropical areas it is a common garden tree. The fruit is unusual as it is borne on the main branches and the trunks, occasionally even from surface roots of the tree. Twigs would not be strong enough; jackfruit is 350-900mm in length and 250-500mm in diameter. It is the largest edible tree-grown fruit.
Jackfruit fondness grows with familiarity. The smell of a fully ripe fruit in an enclosed space may at first be unpleasant to some although the experience cannot be compared to the durian. The fruit is covered with numerous hard points, is pale green in colour and changes to a yellowish-brown during ripening. Fruit is mature for harvest when the single small leaf above the stem withers and the first colour change occurs. Ripening continues post-harvest and with experience is ascertained by tapping the fruit. When ripe, fruit softens a little and will "give" when pushed. Ripe fruit exudes a musty, sweet aroma for a day or two before fruit is ideal for most purposes.
For some main course dishes the fruit is used unripe and sometimes quite immature. For most desserts, or where only the aril surrounding the seeds is used, the fruit should be fully ripe. Before cutting the fruit, it is important to guard against the sticky latex. Immature fruit have more latex, so work near a sink and coat the knife, hands and the centre of the cutting board with vegetable oil. Cut fruit into 50mm sections, then remove the skin from each section and remove the centre core. Within the fruit is a fibrous material called the rags, which is used in some recipes. Some of the rags could be saved frozen as it is an excellent jam-setting agent. Embedded among the rags are numerous arils, the golden and richly flavoured flesh of the jackfruit. Within each aril is a seed, almost the size and shape of a shelled Brazil nut. Seeds are surrounded by a tough skin.
The seeds are edible and nutritious. They contain 38% carbohydrates, 6.6% proteins and 0.4% fats. They may be prepared in several ways. One way is to boil seeds for 5 minutes and then roast them in a heavy frying pan with a little oil. Similar results are obtained if they are cooked in a microwave oven. Use a low setting and enclose the seeds in a bag, as they tend to "explode". The seeds are best roasted in hot coals of a burned down fire. Cut up, they may be included with a stew. The fruit aril is used in soups, main dishes, desserts, milk drinks, ice cream and fruit salads. In India it is preserved by boiling with sugar syrup, butter and coconut milk. The jackfruit arils freeze well and they may be used at a later time like fresh fruit. Arils are excellent dried or preserved in syrup. Traditionally, arils are used in fruit salads, boiled with rice or coconut milk, in soup, and particularly with fish. Spikes are the young, totally green flowers. These may be cooked with sugar syrup and agar-agar, or used like vegetables in soups.
Some fruit growers plant seedling jackfruit trees as wind breaks, then later decide that they could also market this crop. As a result, jackfruit is supplied by many growers in small quantities and the fruit is very variable. In India the fruit is very cheap and is regarded as poor people's food. Its use requires some effort and there is considerable waste with some fruit, unless a person is fond of the rags. Good varieties filled with crunchy, tasty ariels are well worth the trouble and cost, but a poor fruit at a high price is disappointing. Near the its production centres in the tropics jackfruit is reasonably well supplied during a large part of the year.
The chempedak (A. polyphema) is native to, and much appreciated in Malaysia. It is a close relative of the jackfruit. Compared with jackfruit, chempedak is, smaller, more elongated, and has a "waist", a slight narrowing near the middle of the fruit. The rind has a pungent odour, is thinner than the jackfruit's and its spines are flattened to studs. The flesh tends to be juicier, darker yellow and sweeter. Uses of the fruit's arils, rags and seeds are like that of the jackfruit but the chempedak is more suited to dessert dishes.
The marang (A. odoratissimus), also known as tarap, resembles both the jackfruit and the seeded breadfruit in appearance. This stately tree is of South East Asian origin. Its large leaves are similar to the breadfruit's, but they are less lobed. The Latin name indicates that the fruit is fine smelling. Contrasting the marang's robust aroma, the fruit is succulent and mildly flavoured, quite suiting the palate of the uninitiated Westerners. The fruit is regarded as superior to both jackfruit and chempedak.
The fruit is round to oblong, about 170mm in length, and the thick rind is covered with soft, short spines. These become rigid and brittle when fruit is mature. The fruit does not fall when ripe. It may be harvested mature but hard, and left to soft ripen. Marang turns green-yellow when ripe.Ripe fruit is opened by cutting the rind around the fruit. Twisting and gently pulling the halves leaves the fruit's flesh separated. The internal structure is similar to the jackfruit's. The core is relatively large, but there are fewer "rags" and more of the edible fruit. Arils are white and the size of a grape, each containing a 12mm long seed. Once opened, the marang should be consumed within a few hours, as it loses flavour quickly and fruit darkens.The tree is less cold tolerant than the breadfruit. It would grow only between latitude 15º north and south, and only in coastal regions where temperatures never "plummet" below 7ºC.