What even is jackfruit?

(Photo credit: Daniel Wabyick, Flickr)

You may have heard people talking about it, seen it on the menu of your favourite restaurant or even caught a glimpse of it in the supermarket. But what is jackfruit? Is it a fruit? Why do people put BBQ sauce on it? What does it all mean?

What is jackfruit?

Jackfruit is native to southwest India and grows on a tree. Jackfruit has very little taste and so can take on the taste of whatever it is marinaded in, like BBQ sauce or Thai curry. The texture resembled that of pulled pork and so it is often used as a vegetarian/vegan alternative in such dishes.

Not only is jackfruit plant-based, so VEGAN, but it can add variety and spice (not literally) to your meals and is still relatively healthy - look at you getting your 5-a-day tasting like BBQ pulled pork!

What can I do with jackfruit?

This is my favourite jackfruit recipe to get you started...

Slow cooker BBQ jackfruit

1. Add a BBQ rub/marinade of your choice to the jackfruit.

2. Cook it on low for about 5 hours.

3. Shred the jackfruit with a fork into smaller strips.

4. Cook it on low for another hour.

5. Serve on a meal of your choice (jacket potatos, sandwiches, nachos or tacos work brilliantly!)

(Photo credit: Jonas Carlsson, Flickr)

Where can I get jackfruit?

Most supermarkets that have a world food section will stock it, smaller Asian supermarkets are highly likely to also and if you're really struggling to find some, you can even get it on Amazon!

If you're not strapped for cash and fancy an easier method (yes, there is something even easier than a slow cooker meal!) you can head on over to Sainsbury's or Tesco who have both got some great ranges of jackfruit that are ready to just heat up.

Why should I eat jackfruit?

You can carry on eating the same foods you always have, or you can branch out and try something new (and maybe even end up loving it). Jackfruit serves as an amazing plant-based alternative to your favourite pulled meat. It's also high in fibre, vitamins A, B and C and is made of simple sugars that help to replenish energy. If all of that wasn't enough to persuade you to give it a try, 100g of this wonderful fruit only comes to about 95 calories, so if you're calorie counting it won't take up too much of your daily allowance (compared to over 300 calories in the same amount of pulled pork)!

Here are some fun facts to wow your dinner guests about this wonderful food...

• Jackfruit is the largest tree-borne fruit

• The word 'jackfruit' comes from Portuguese

• Jackfruit is in the Moraceae family (which figs and mulberries are also part of)

• A mature jackfruit tree can produce 100 to 200 fruits in a year

• The part of a jackfruit that you eat is actually it's petals

So shout loud about this wonderful fruit, but not so loud that they become endangered like our beloved avocado, and make sure you leave some for me!