Jackfruit is making an increasing appearance on menus and social media, but if you don’t know jack about jackfruit, here’s Good Housekeeping's guide.
What does jackfruit look like?
Big and bumpy! Jackfruit grows in parts of Asia and is the largest fruit that can be found on a tree.
It belongs to the same family as figs and mulberries (but doesn’t look or taste anything like either). Although it can grow up to a whopping metre long, it’s usually around a sizeable 30cm in length.
Within its uneven green skin lies a waxy yellow flesh, that falls apart into separate bulbs when cut.
What does jackfruit taste like?
Fresh, ripe, uncooked jackfruit has a delightfully sweet, tropical flavour, somewhere between pineapple and mango (some liken it to Juicy Fruit chewing gum).
It occasionally has a savoury whiff, but this doesn’t affect the flavour. Young, unripe green jackfruit – usually found in tins - isn’t sweet and has a neutral taste (if you’ve ever eaten a tinned artichoke heart straight from the can, it’s a bit like that).
This version is best cooked into a savoury recipe with plenty of spices and seasoning to pep it up.
What kind of texture does jackfruit have?
When fresh and ripe, the texture is a little like pineapple, but waxier and less juicy.
Unripe, the firmer, stringy, slightly fibrous nature it possesses is why it has become a beloved vegan staple – it’s perfect as a substitute for pulled pork, especially because its bland flavour adapts to whatever sauce you pair it with.
How do I prepare a jackfruit?
In the UK, cutting up a fresh jackfruit is a problem you’re unlikely to encounter - it’s hard to find whole, unless you’ve got a specialist grocer in your area.
You’re more likely to procure the unripe stuff already in chunks, in a can or vac pack, from the tinned fruit aisle.
In this case, drain it, rinse it (if necessary) and follow your recipe. Sometimes you can find fresh ripe jackfruit pods too, in the chilled fruit section.
However, if you do find yourself the owner of one of these huge beauties, prepare to get messy! Lay down newspaper and oil your knife. There is a large amount of latex sap in the fruit, released when you cut into it (if you have a latex allergy, this might not be the job for you), which will stick to anything it can – greasing-up your utensils helps to prevent this. Cut all the way around the skin to divide it into half and then break the two halves apart (use your knife to do this if they won’t come apart easily). Pull out the bulbs of flesh with oiled fingers and pop out the large seeds (these can be roasted as a snack). The fruity pods are then ready to eat, or can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for a couple of days.
How do I make pulled jackfruit?
Just shred it! Mix your prepared fruit (the tinned/unripe version is best for this) with BBQ spices and fry it up, then slather on barbecue sauce and serve in buns with vegan slaw.
Alternatively, sizzle it with some Mexican spices, tomato paste and fresh coriander and make a filling for fajitas, tacos, burritos, quesadillas or nachos.
How else can I use tinned jackfruit?
We’ve already mentioned pulled jackfruit, but it also works brilliantly to make these Vegan Duck Pancakes.
GET THE RECIPE
When it comes out of the can, tinned jackfruit is usually in large pieces, which means it’s ideal for turning into anything you’d find meaty chunks in, like vegan nuggets, stews, pies and curries.
Is jackfruit a good meat substitute?
One thing to keep in mind is that although jackfruit has a similar texture to meat, as far as protein is concerned, it isn’t comparable to it or non-meat substitutes like Quorn.
Tinned jackfruit has around 1g of protein per 100g, whereas Quorn has approx. 13-15g (depending on what form it comes in) per 100g, and meat that it would be substituting, such as pork shoulder, has around 27g per 100g.
If you’re trying to create a nutritionally balanced plate of food, make sure you’re including some extra protein with your jackfruit meal.
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