JACK THE GREAT

Jack fruit (Artocarpus Heterophyllus- Katahal in Hindi) is in the news these days. I have recently come across several pieces of writing on jack fruit in newspapers as well as in the internet. Why this sudden interest in a fruit which normally people do not care about?

Come summer, the food markets in South India are flooded with mangoes and jackfruits. While the mango is the king of fruits and has captured the imagination of gardeners and poets alike, the poor jack is far behind, in the shadows. Nevertheless, nothing expresses nature’s bounty more aptly than a jack tree-- its whole trunk bulging with hundreds of fruits, big and small, hanging in pale yellow or deep green beauty. One cannot escape the bright yellow colour and a sharp smellof jack fruit cut into large pieces, while taking a walk in the market.

MyTree ConnectionI have both happy and sad memories about the jack tree. There used to be a jack tree standing on the border between our home and that of our neighbour, which used to provide our full quota of ripe jackfruit, every season. Unfortunately, our neighbour fell from the tree, broke his back, and lay confined in bed for 14 long years, before finally passing away.

I have already narrated the story of my old aunty standing on a fragile branch of a tree near the compound wall of her house, merrily chatting with her neighbour, when she suddenly fell from the tree and was taken to the hospital after breaking her leg. The story created great merriment among the doctor and the nurses attending her.

I am glad to say that there is one jack tree planted right in front of our home. Although the plant is still lean and small, to our great joy and amazement, it has started producing 5-10 big jackfruits, every year, each about 10 kg in weight.

Culinary experienceLong ago when we were children, mangoes and jackfruit were a part of the staple diet of Malayalis, especially during summer. In most Kerala homes rice was eaten along with ripe mango Pulissery (cooked with curd and coconuts- a type of kadhi) and Chakka Mezhukkuperatti (boiled jack pieces, sauted in little oil). I distinctly remember women in our family-home sitting around in a circle, cutting, cleaning and segregating the ripe florets, while exchanging juicy gossips, and we children hovering around to snatch a piece or two.

The imaginative Malayali  invented a variety of preparations from this home- grown fruit- ---savoury items like Chakka Ada (ripe flesh ground along with coconut, jaggery and cardamom spread like a paste on banana leaves and steamed), ChakkaPayasam(Kheer or pudding), Chakka Varatti (Jam) and vegetable preparations like Puzzukku(cooked with coconut and spices), Erisseri (cooked in dal and coconut paste added, Thoran (cut into fine pieces and cooked), Theeyalcooked with paste of fried coconut, coriander and spices). Jack can also be cooked like meat, with the same masalas added, for, raw jack has the same texture as meat. The crisp jack chips are still sought after by many. The seeds are roasted in fire, boiled or fried in oil. The seeds  when roasted, have the flavour comparable to chestnuts or Brazil nuts. In modern times a soup is made out of boiled seeds.

Katahalis available in North India too, especially from places like the Jharkhand. Katahal is cooked with gravy and lot of oil and Masalas in UP and Bihar. I remember the tasty katahal pickle which my mother-in-law used to make.

Jackfruit, either raw or ripe, is consumed in other cultures too. Jack is used in Custards, Cakes, Cutlets, Chops, Candies, Halo-halo (Philippines), sweet desert called Che in Vietnam, Es teler (like Ice cream) in Indonesia. In many cultures raw fruit is cooked in coconut milk and taken with rice. Raw fruit is also used in many types of curries. In Africa it is consumed with smoked pork. Jack pulp is canned and exported from Southeast Asian countries to USA and Europe.

Times have changed now. With ‘English vegetables’ like beans, carrot, cabbage, cauli-flower and the like flooding the market, people, especially in the urban areas, generally avoid cooking jack fruit, as native vegetables like the jack need time and effort to cut, clean and cook. Of course, on special occasions like weddings, jack dishes, especially thoran and payasam in Kerala and Kaathal ki subji and katahal pickle in North Indiado find a place in the sumptuous feasts.

More About Jack FruitJack fruit belongs to Moraceae plant family, which also includes fig, mulberry and breadfruit.

Why does a fruit endemic to South India is known by an English name? I read that Portuguese when they landed in Kerala in 1499 were awe-struck by the sights of the Jack tree laden with many fruits. They called it Jaca, a corruption of the word Chakka in Malayalam. Jaca subsequently came to be known as Jack fruit in English.

Archaeological findings show that jackfruit was cultivated in India 3000 to 6000 years ago. The tree is widely cultivated throughout tropical regions of the world,including India, Bangladesh, SriLanka, and the rain forests of the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Australia. It is also found in African and south American continents.

There are two main varieties of jack fruit-Varikka with stiff florets and Sindoor (Kuzha in Malayalam) with soft pulp.

Usefulness We call Coconut tree the Kalpavriksha, because it fulfils every wish of yours-every part of the tree is useful. Same could be said about the jack tree. Its fruits, bark and leaves are traditionally used to treat several types of infections. Jack wood is used in furniture-making and house construction. Fruits and seeds are edible.The cattle are fed the spiky outer cover of the fruit.The leaves can be stitched into a kind of spoon, to eat watery foods like gruel. The fallen leaves could be made into excellent mulch for gardens.

 

 

 

Nutritional value

Jackfruit has a spiky outer skin and is green or yellow in colour.The jackfruit is a multiple fruit made of many individual florets, and the fleshy petals of the unripe and ripe fruit are eaten. 

Nutritionists say that Jackfruit offers about 155 calories in a one-cup serving. The edible pulp is 74% water, 23% carbohydrates (primarily sugars), 2% protein, and 1% fat, and is a source of dietary fibre. It is a rich source  of vitamin B_6, and also contains moderate levels of vitamin C and potassium. Jackfruit has a low glycaemic index and provides fibre, protein and antioxidants, that may help better blood sugar management, can help boost immunity,improves skin-health and reduce the risk of heart disease due to its content of potassium, fibre and antioxidants. 

Food security

The jackfruit has played a significant role in Indian agriculture for centuries. In 2017, India produced 1.4 million tonnes of jackfruit, followed by Bangladesh, Thailand, and Indonesia.According to Wikipedia, the jack tree bears the largest fruit of all trees, reaching as much as 55 kg (120 pounds) in weight, 90 cm (35 inches) in length, and 50 cm (20 inches) in diameter. A mature jackfruit tree produces some 200 fruits per year, with older trees bearing up to 500 fruits in a year! More important fact is that the tree doesn’t need any special care that the other fruit trees demand. It grows wild in forest areas and even in dry areas.

The jack fruit is food not only for humans, but also for birds and wild animals like elephants. The wild elephants eat jackfruits from trees grown in populated areas near the hills. There was recently a funny video of a caparisoned elephant dutifully carrying the image of a goddess on its back in a temple procession suddenly stopping on the way to pluck a jackfruit and cooly carrying on after relishing it!

The humble jack can play a major role in food security. Our tree plantation programs should focus on growing trees like Jack fruits, instead of planting trees of little value. It can, this way, ease the man-animal tension in hilly and forest areas. Land sharks/ house owners should be motivated to spare old jack trees or leave a bit of space for planting new ones during construction.

Honouring Jack Fruit

Recently, the Government of Kerala declared the tree as the State Tree and is popularizing it, keeping in view its food and nutritional value.Exhibitions are conducted featuring the multiple use of the plant and to encourage its cultivation throughout the state. It is heartening to note that several start-ups process the fruit and produce multiple products which are today available online (including Jack atta, specially targeting diabetic patients) to consumers globally. It provides employment to people, especially to women. Several Jack enthusiasts cultivate many varieties of jack, including exotic varieties. Transformation of this humble inhabitant of our backyards to a valued item today is indeed amazing. It has a valuable lesson for all of us- one need not ignore good traditions and cuisines. Some traditions can be carried forward, with changes, to suit the modern tastes.              

                                                           Long live our dear Jack!

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