A Jackfruit Expedition !

At the edge of the field, I stood, staring at the large fruit above. My eyes were stuck at the beautiful canvas of the green fruit hanging over the background of clear blue skies.

“How was such a large fruit able to hang onto the branch? Why does the fruit have such an odd irregular shape? How will we know if the fruit is ripe?”

I was day-dreaming as usual. As the jackfruit lay hanging there, almost teasing us, laughing at us for not being able to reach its heights, dad was busy looking for a way to pluck it. We finally had a breakthrough, using a long stick tied with a sharp knife. As dad cut the fruit off the branch, I stood below catching it into a bag, wiping the metaphoric smirk off its outer surface!

Jackfruits have been a part of Kerala culture for a long time, so much so that the official fruit of Kerala is jackfruit. The fruit is an integral part of the state’s cuisine as well. At home, dad cut the jackfruit, removing the sap as he did. Unfortunately, the fruit had not ripened completely, so we could not eat it. I was left disappointed. But strangely, my parents looked at ease. I asked them why and they told me that the jackfruit need not be in the ripened condition to be useful. Raw jackfruit can be converted into chips which are sold across the world.

Jackfruits, apart from being a huge part of the cuisine, are also highly nutritious. The fruit is rich in vitamins such as vitamin C and B, and minerals such as potassium and magnesium. It also contains antioxidants such as carotenoids which help in preventing cell damage. In fact, a study published in the American Diabetes Association Journal ‘Diabetes’, found that consuming 30 grams of jackfruit flour per day can help reduce the blood glucose levels in type-II diabetes patients significantly. The study was conducted by James Joseph, founder of Jackfruit365, a company which has developed the jackfruit flour. The study was performed at the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences at Srikakulam, Andhra Pradesh.

Loaded with such nutrition and taste, I was not going to miss out on the jackfruit chips that my parents were busy preparing. It took a while, chopping the jackfruit flesh into pieces, washing and cleaning them, followed by a period of drying. The pieces were then oil fried and sprayed with salt water for preservation. And the chips were ready!