Jackfruit

     What is Jackfruit?

 It is a large bumpy green fruit that grows in warmer or tropical climates. It grows on trees and can weight up to 100 lbs, so sitting under that tree would not be wise!

     Buying Jackfruit.

 You can buy a whole jackfruit in some supermarkets and prep it by cutting it open and removing the edible parts, or you can take the easy way out and buy it in a can. Most markets will have canned jackfruit next to other canned fruits.
       There are two kinds of canned jackfruit. The one you will cook with is "young, green, jackfruit". The other kind, not for cooking, is ripe jackfruit, and that kind is sweet and good with desserts and ice creams. The brand I usually find is Chaokoh. You can also sometimes find in the produce refrigerated section, containers of cut up jackfruit.

    Preparation
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   Inside the can of the cooking kind, you will see triangle pieces. The first thing to do is to drain the water and give the contents a rinse or two. If you take four pieces out and piece them together to form a circle you will see an inner circle which is called the "rag". The rag is edible but rarely used. If you hold each piece by the rag you can use your fingers to pull off the outer layer, called the "arils". This is what you will use for recipes and by pulling it off it resembles shredded meat. Among the arils you will find seeds. Most of them are soft enough to leave in.


      This must be cooked and not eaten raw as it may cause stomach upsets. For about $1.59 a can you will be surprised at the amount you get. One can makes about four servings.
      Jackfruit will take on any flavors that you cook it with. You can make a faux pulled pork sandwich by cooking it with barbeque sauce, and anyone would be hard-pressed to tell the difference.