Jackfruit is well known as the national fruit of Bangladesh. This jackfruit is commonly used in South and Southeast Asian cuisines. And both ripe and unripe fruits are eaten. Jackfruit is the national fruit of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka and Kerala is also the state fruit of Tamil Nadu, India. It is also found internationally in canned or frozen and cold foods, as well as a variety of products derived from noodles and chips.
It is a kind of succulent yellow summer fruit. And it is officially defined as the national fruit of Bangladesh. That is why jackfruit trees are seen all over Bangladesh. And raw jackfruit is called enchora which is also known as gachapantha in Bengali society. Also jackfruit wood is preferred for making furniture.
Jackfruit leaves are the favorite food of various animals. Therefore, the outer part of this relatively large fruit is thick and thorny, while the inner part is surrounded by numerous juicy koas. The large seed of jackfruit is located inside the choir.
Availability
The region between the Western Ghats of South India and the rainforests of Malaysia is well known as the place of origin of jackfruit. Apart from Bangladesh, Assam, West Bengal, South India, Bihar, Myanmar, Malay, Sri Lanka, etc., there is no other place in the world where such a large number of jackfruit is cultivated.
This is because the demand for jackfruit is less in all other countries and the weather in the country is the opposite. However, jackfruit grows in limited quantities in Brazil, West Indies, Jamaica, etc. It is more common in reddish soils and highlands. Madhupur and Bhawal average of Bangladesh, and jackfruit cultivation is more in the hilly areas.
Jackfruit as food
Jackfruit can be eaten both raw and ripe. This is because from spring to summer, raw jackfruit is eaten as kanda or ichore’s vegetable. Also ripe fruits are quite nutritious. But its smell is not so attractive to many. Yet many prefer it for its mildly acidic sweet taste and low price.
Jackfruit seeds are cooked and eaten with curry. It can also be eaten like almonds by burning jackfruit seeds. One of the advantages of this is that the seed can be left at home for a long time. Ripe fruit cells are usually eaten, these cells can be squeezed out and dried to make ‘jackfruit’ like amastta.
Open jackfruit
Seeds from ripe fruit can be cooked once and it seems to have a more milky, sweet taste than Brazil nuts. They can be boiled, baked or roasted. Once fried, the seeds taste like chestnuts. The seeds are used as snacks (either by boiling or fire-roasting) or in making sweets. In Java, the seeds are usually cooked as a snack and seasoned with salt. These are commonly used in India as a traditional curry blend of lentils and vegetables. The young leaves are tender enough to be used as a vegetable.
Jackfruit variety
There are several varieties of jackfruit. And the varieties cultivated in Bangladesh and India can be roughly divided into two parts. Apart from Gala and Khwaja, there are other varieties of jackfruit. ‘Raskhaja’ has the characteristic of being between Gala and Khwaja jackfruit. There are also Rudrakshi, Singapore, Ceylon, Baromasi, Golapgandha, Champagandha, Padmaraj, Hazari etc. Of these, only Hazari jackfruit is in Bangladesh, the rest are in India.
Cheek or throat
When the jackfruit ripens well, the cells or koya stored inside it become very soft, sweet and juicy in nature. However, sometimes the taste of the juice is sour-sweet. Its cells are relatively small. Besides, the thorns on the husk are not very flat. And after ripening it becomes a little reddish-yellowish. The cells can be easily separated.
Khwaja
Cells are large in size, less juicy after ripening and relatively hard or crunchy. Even if the cells are chipped, the juice does not come out easily. The color is pale yellow and the taste is fairly sweet. Many people do not like this variety of jackfruit because it is not easily digested. The color of the husk remains green even after ripening and the thorns of the skin are fairly flat, large and smooth in nature.
Use of jackfruit in cooking
The varieties are differentiated according to the fleshy characteristics of the ripe fruit comparable to the combination of apple, pineapple, mango and banana. Pure jackfruit has a mild flavor and meaty texture and is used in many dishes as a vegetable with spices.
The skin of the unripe jackfruit must first be peeled, then the remaining jackfruit meat must be cut, in a laborious process, in edible portions and cooked before serving. The final pieces resemble ready-made artichoke hearts in their light taste, color and floral qualities.
In many Asian countries, young jackfruit is cooked as a vegetable. In many cultures, jackfruit is cooked and used as a staple food in curries. Boiled young jackfruit is used in salads or as a vegetable in spicy curries and side dishes and as a filling for cutlets and chops. It may be cooked with coconut milk In South India, jackfruit pieces are deep fried to make unrefined chips.
Conclusion
Jackfruit is the national fruit of Bangladesh. There is a lot of demand for this fruit in our country. It is a seasonal fruit. So it results in summer. Mango and jackfruit are the main fruits in summer. These two fruits are found in every region of Bangladesh. These fruits have many nutritional value. So we need to gain detailed knowledge about it.
