
How the vegan food trend made a star of the stinking jackfruit - brkumar
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/feb/16/jackfruit-stinking-vegan-food-trend-star
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vram22
>Covered in spikes and emitting a stench of rotting onions,

Wondering if that bit about "rotting onions" is wrong. I'm Indian and live in
India, and while I haven't eaten jackfruit often, I have eaten it sometimes
(the ripe sweet version), and never got a smell like that from it. I've even
travelled for non-trivial periods through Tamil Nadu and Kerala states, where
jackfruit is grown a lot, seen it growing on roadside trees, etc. It
definitely has a strong smell, but it's just a strong sweet fruity smell,
IIRC. Definitely can be an acquired taste, maybe more so for people from the
West. But not bad, IMO.

Anyone else know better? or is the rotting onion smell they mention, from when
it is not ripe yet, maybe? Because I've not seen/tasted it in that stage.

BTW, I've read elsewhere that it is supposed to be one of those wonder plants,
which can help combat malnutrition, hunger, etc., if grown on a larger scale
in the tropical (and subtropical?) countries where it can grow, and where
there are sometimes food shortages, such as some parts of Asia and Africa.

Same goes for a few other plants/trees (in the sense of wonder plants, though
not necessarily all for nutrition - some are for medical, construction or
other uses, often multiple uses), like coconut, neem, bamboo, Moringa
(drumstick tree), etc.

Edited for grammar.

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hombre_fatal
They grew all over the place where I lived in Nayarit, Mexico. They just had
the boring smell of an unripe banana. Kinda tasted like one, too.

Maybe they're confusing yaka with durian fruit?

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vram22
That gummy substance the article mentions is definitely a bit of a problem,
though, even when eating the ripe jackfruit. It gets onto your hands and takes
some time and work to wash off.

BTW, the seeds of the jackfruit are also eaten, and are supposed to be
nutritious, IIRC (part of that wonder plant stuff). Got a nutty taste. It's
added to some curries in Indian cuisine, both North and South, I think. Had it
a few times.

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praneshp
Yes, one of my favorite dishes is an item called kootu ([0] but it's just a
recipe I picked off Google).

My mom and other elders warn me to eat small helpings because it can screw
with digestion, but I'm not sure if that's true.

Jackfruit is a brilliant creation of nature

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node-bayarea
Yo! The author is an idiot! Jackfruit is not Durion! It's like confusing Java
and JavaScript!

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tdeck
I bought some jackfruit a while back at the local asian market. The fruit
tastes like JuicyFruit gum to me. Not only that, but the seeds are also edible
and delicious when roasted, somewhere between a potato and a chestnut. I made
a pretty good curry out of them based on this recipe:
[https://youtu.be/IBoTxDgMauM](https://youtu.be/IBoTxDgMauM)

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vezycash
I've tried to buy this twice from china through ebay. First time, I got very
tiny seeds - I have no idea what the plant is. Second time, I got orange
seeds.

I'd have kept trying but I found out that Jackfruit seeds lose viability very
fast. So, even if the right seeds were sent, they'd be duds in the 2-3 months
it takes to get to me.

Wanted to see if it could be used commercially as a meat replacement in pies.

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barbecue_sauce
I've purchased canned jackfruit before from asian supermarkets. Depending on
where you live, this could be difficult, but your area may have an H-Mart. I
personally wasn't a fan of the texture.

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bitesociety
As a vegan, I enjoy jackfruit occasionally but it's a a long ways removed from
the taste and texture of the new generation of plant based meats.

If I'm eating healthy I'd rather go for other more accessible fruit, veggies
and legumes and if eating for meat taste instead would prefer Impossible,
Beyond, Gardein and Hungry Planet etc.

~~~
strken
As an omnivore I quite like the fake pulled "pork" made from green jackfruit.
It reminds me of the texture of artichoke hearts, whereas lots of the new fake
meats fall into the uncanny valley.

~~~
bitesociety
I guess there must be a market for it, pizza hut wouldn't have launched it
otherwise. btw, not sure if you've tried the recent V2 launches but impossible
and beyond keep getting better year on year. I've had omni friends start to
post positively about the over the past month or two which is a big change
from even just a year or two ago.

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darkpuma
It bothers me how often veganism is at odds with the local food movement. It
isn't all the time, but it seems to often be. It's hard for me to square any
ethical argument for making an obscure fruit or seed from the other side of
the planet a staple of my diet, particularly when that food is being produced
in regions with environmental destruction unchecked by _effective_
environmental regulation.

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mushufasa
Differing regional environmental regulations is indeed a big problem.

One pet peeve of mine is locavores clamoring about emissions from
transportation.

Food shipped overseas is not emissions intense at all. Huge tankers are
__the__ most efficient means of transportation, emissions-wise. Pair efficient
diesel with the physics of huge inertia over a frictionless medium, and
gigantic economies of scale.

Usually, growing tomatoes in a greenhouse in Vermont is __more__ emissions
intense than shipping them from Chile.

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YUMad
More efficient per mile, sure. But how about per total trip length?

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Xylakant
The local leg via truck is likely to be much more energy intensive unless you
live right next to a seaport.

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blunte
Jackfruit is awesome. However, as I discovered, that some people have some
level of allergies to the raw fruit (some pollen allergy). You'll know it
because your throat will tighten, your eyes will itch, etc. But if it's
cooked, it's no problem.

Raw, it is slightly sweet and generally mild in flavor (with a nice texture,
imo).

Cooked, it can be torn into strips that is very texturally similar to chicken
or pulled pork.

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kbutler
Sounds like oral allergy syndrome, which is actually a response to the
proteins in the food: [https://www.allergicliving.com/2011/11/30/the-scoop-on-
raw-v...](https://www.allergicliving.com/2011/11/30/the-scoop-on-raw-vs-
cooked-fruit/)

(And while I didn't like jackfruit on initial exposure, I quickly grew to
enjoy it - not like Thailand's other stinking fruit, the durian, which some
people really love but I detest...)

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tokyoHacker
Disclosure:I am from Kerala so probably a bit biased in favor.

Jackfruit can be used to make jam, dried chips, curries and a bunch of other
things that my limited vocabulary restricts me from mentioning. Ofcourse ripe
jack fruit is delicious by itself.

To top this, the seed of jackfruit is also used for preparing varios curries.
This fruit has a potential that is yet to be tapped to its fullest.

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Legogris
> In May 2018, the Kerala government declared jackfruit the state’s official
> fruit, with the winning slogan: “Jackfruit is the best fruit. Its fruit has
> innumerable good qualities.”

This is so charming. Reminds me of Japanese small prefectures and cities and
their local mascots and specialties.

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azinman2
Do people understand it’s nutritional value is not equivalent to what it’s
replacing (when mimicking meat)? Looking at the “pulled pork” bun on the
webpage made me think, would you still feel like this is just fine for lunch
if it was slices of pineapple instead inside?

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ohyes
I think with pineapple the bun would be all soggy.

A piece of bread and some pineapple would be fine for lunch I think. It would
be weird because we don’t think of that combination of foods as a typical
sandwich.

Pineapple has a much different flavor profile than jackfruit. Jackfruit is a
bit of a blank slate, and has a texture that is the right mix of meaty and
tender. Pineapple is very sour and juicy, it’s completely different food.

We think nothing of cucumber sandwiches, tomato sandwiches, eggplant
sandwiches, various bean products (tofu, black bean, falafel).

I think you’re playing on the (gustatorily) incongruent nature of a ‘pineapple
sandwich’ and conflating that emotion with the relative nutritional qualities
that would comprise a ‘pineapple sandwich’ (probably not far off a cucumber
sandwich with quince paste).

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darkpuma
Heh, I once got a "watermelon steak" at a vegan restaurant in Seattle. Let me
tell you, a slice of grilled watermelon is not even remotely similar to a
steak.

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TheRealWatson
I'm the opposite of a vegetarian and I love jackfruit. I'll admit it's
something of an acquired taste and lots of people hate its smell. I love it.
Grew up eating it and I'm very happy to see it more easily in my local grocery
stores.

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dilap
AMLO (prez of mexico) is also a fan. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEjcyRO-
vPw](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEjcyRO-vPw)

