Jackfruit facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Jackfruit |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Jackfruit tree with fruit | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| Division: | |
| Class: | |
| Order: | |
| Family: | |
| Genus: |
Artocarpus
|
| Species: |
A. heterophyllus
|
| Binomial name | |
| Artocarpus heterophyllus |
|
The jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) is a very large fruit that grows on a tree. It is also known as the jack tree. This tree belongs to the same family as figs, mulberries, and breadfruit. It originally comes from southwest India.
Jackfruit trees grow best in warm, tropical lowlands. The fruit itself is the biggest fruit that grows on a tree! It can weigh up to 35 kilograms (about 77 pounds). It can also be 90 centimeters (about 3 feet) long and 50 centimeters (about 1.5 feet) wide. A full-grown jackfruit tree can grow 100 to 200 fruits each year. A jackfruit is actually made up of many tiny flowers that grow together. The part we eat is the soft, fleshy petals.
People grow jackfruit trees all over the world in tropical areas because the fruit is very popular to eat. Jackfruit is the national fruit of Bangladesh.
Contents
Growing Jackfruit Trees
.JPG)
Jackfruit has been an important crop in India for thousands of years. Old findings show that people grew jackfruit in India 3,000 to 6,000 years ago. It is also grown a lot in Southeast Asia. Tiny stingless bees help pollinate jackfruit flowers. This means they help the trees make fruit.
Jackfruit could also help countries that struggle with food security, like some in Africa. These trees are quite easy to care for. They do not need much pruning, which means cutting branches. You only sometimes need to cut off dead branches from inside the tree.
What Jackfruit Tastes Like
Jackfruit has a special sweet and fruity smell. Many people say the inside of the fruit smells like pineapple and banana. After you roast the seeds, they can even smell like chocolate! The fruit's flesh is starchy and has lots of dietary fiber.
The taste of jackfruit is like a mix of apple, pineapple, mango, and banana. People often use jackfruit in foods from South and Southeast Asia. They use both ripe and unripe fruit, and even the seeds.
Uses for Jackfruit Wood
The wood from the jackfruit tree is used to make musical instruments. In Indonesia, the hard wood from the tree trunk is carved to make drums for gamelan music. In the Philippines, its soft wood is used for the body of the kutiyapi, which is a type of boat lute. It also helps make the body of the Indian string instrument called the veena.
The wood is golden yellow and has a nice pattern. In India, it is used to build furniture and houses. A special wooden plank called avani palaka is made from jackfruit wood. Priests use it as a seat during Hindu ceremonies in Kerala. In Vietnam, jackfruit wood is valuable for making Buddhist statues and barrels for fish sauce.
Jackfruit wood is also used for making doors, windows, and roofs. Buddhist monks in Southeast Asia use the inner part of the wood as a dye. This dye gives their robes their special light-brown color.
Where to Find Jackfruit
Outside of the countries where it grows naturally, you can find fresh jackfruit in food markets across Southeast Asia. It is also grown a lot in the coastal areas of Brazil, where it is sold in local markets. You can buy jackfruit canned in sweet syrup or frozen and already cut. Many companies also make dried jackfruit chips. In northern Australia, especially in Darwin, you can find jackfruit in outdoor markets during the dry season. If you live outside of tropical countries, you can usually find canned or dried jackfruit all year.
In Sri Lanka and Vietnam, there are industries that process jackfruit. They turn the fruit into things like flour, noodles, papad, and ice cream. They also can the fruit and sell it as a vegetable to other countries. The wood from the jackfruit tree is important in Sri Lanka too. It is sent to Europe because it is strong, termite-proof, and better than teak for making furniture.
Images for kids
-
Jackfruit tree illustrated from one of the earliest natural history books about China by Jesuit Missionary author Michael Boym in 1656.
-
Jackfruit tree trunk showing texture and coloration
-
A Jackfruit tree
-
Flower buds and leaves of a jackfruit tree
-
Jackfruit tree with fruits
-
Jack fruits in India
-
Jackfruit flesh
-
Jack-fruit in Mymensingh, Bangladesh
-
Opened jackfruit
-
Jackfruit seeds
-
Packaged jackfruit chunks, seasoned with paprika, tomato and other herbs and spices. When prepared in this way, jackfruit has the look and texture of meat and is used as a meat substitute.
-
Vegan "pulled pork" style jackfruit burgers
-
Jackfruit curry (Sri Lanka)
-
Green jackfruit and potato curry (West Bengal)
-
Jackfruit masala (India)
-
Jackfruit fried in coconut oil from Kerala, India
-
Jackfruit (unripe) cutlet, India
-
Kripik nangka, jackfruit chips (Indonesia)
-
Gudeg (left), jackfruit curry with palm sugar (Indonesia)
-
Ginataang langka, jackfruit in coconut milk (Philippines)
-
Halo-halo, shaved ice dessert with various fruits and toppings (Philippines)
-
Packed jackfruit sold in a market
-
Selling jackfruit in Bangkok
-
Jackfruit at a fruit stand in Manhattan's Chinatown
-
Cut jackfruit
-
Polythene-packaged cut jackfruit
-
Extracting the jackfruit arils and separating the seeds from the flesh
_Cutlet.jpg)
_-_photo_of_the_inside.jpg)
See also
In Spanish: Yaca para niños
