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How the vegan food trend made a star of the stinking jackfruit

theguardian.com

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Re: How the vegan food trend made a star of the stinking jackfruit

#31

Post by Legogris »

vram22 wrote: post #23
Legogris wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, it really sounds like they're talking about Durian. You can barely say Jackfruit is covered in spikes.

Right, good point, I missed that earlier. Not really spikes. Even the photo at the top of the article sort of shows that. They are sharp protrusions on the surface of the skin of the fruit, but since they are not really hard, you can handle the fruit even with them being there. I've picked up heavy jackfruit a few times and not had any problem of being poked by the "spikes". And they get pretty heavy - I think 45 kg…

Durian is very spiky on the other hand. I've had and seen them both and the rest of the article seems spot-on from what I can tell. It's a weird slip in something that reads so well-informed otherwise.

Jackfruit has a mild, taste with a hint of banana and is odorless. Durian reeks like a trash heap but has a sweet and a little bit sour flavour with a hint of canned pears.

Re: How the vegan food trend made a star of the stinking jackfruit

#32

Post by sametmax »

vram22 wrote: post #8

>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 roadsi…

I think the best description have been given of the smell and taste is "it is a mix between a banana and a camembert" (a french cheese).

Like Joe's use to say: "Custard, good ... jam, good ... meat, GOOD!"

Re: How the vegan food trend made a star of the stinking jackfruit

#33

Post by hombre_fatal »

vram22 wrote: post #23
Legogris wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, it really sounds like they're talking about Durian. You can barely say Jackfruit is covered in spikes.

Right, good point, I missed that earlier. Not really spikes. Even the photo at the top of the article sort of shows that. They are sharp protrusions on the surface of the skin of the fruit, but since they are not really hard, you can handle the fruit even with them being there. I've picked up heavy jackfruit a few times and not had any problem of being poked by the "spikes". And they get pretty heavy - I think 45 kg…

I'd definitely consider them spike-covered, though so densely packed it's perhaps not so defining.

But their mass and weight sure set them apart! They grow so god damn big it's awe-inspiring to see them on trees along side of the road or beach. As if they are the cocoons of a giant jurassic-era butterfly.

Hard not to wonder how many small animals must have been obliterated by one falling from the tree.

But also how amazing it must have been for an early human or settler to find one in the wild. The amount of fruit you can harvest from one is incredible. Thankfully people would collect them, pluck out all the meat "nodes", and sell them in little bags of 4-6 nodules. I could never eat more than 4 nodules without rummaging for something else in the pantry, they're quite boring.

Re: How the vegan food trend made a star of the stinking jackfruit

#34

Post by ianai »

darkpuma wrote: post #7

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.

Jackfruit is not veganism. No vegan is eating jackfruit regularly nor for long. It’s an exotic fruit with a trick of being similar to pulled pork in the right circumstances. It’s something some vegans chose to eat from time to time, “to scratch an itch.” Daily vegan calories are going to be from nuts, berries, other produce, grains, and legumes. The US produces vast quantities of all of those.

It bothers me when a fundamentally nonviolent movement is maligned as wasteful, inefficient, or dangerous.

Re: How the vegan food trend made a star of the stinking jackfruit

#35

Post by praneshp »

vram22 wrote: post #18
hombre_fatal wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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?

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 t…

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

Re: How the vegan food trend made a star of the stinking jackfruit

#36

Post by 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

Re: How the vegan food trend made a star of the stinking jackfruit

#37

Post by Legogris »

cbhl wrote: post #30
azinman2 wrote: post #2

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?

Some do; some don't. In my experience, most find a source of protein quickly (tofu, tempeh, peanut butter, chickpeas, quinoa). But some end up with iron deficiency and may need to take supplements. (Broccoli looks like a comparable source by weight -- 1.1mg per 148g, versus 2.2mg per 85g of beef. But 85g of beef is roughly 3/4 cup by volume, whereas to get the ~300g of broccoli for the same 2.2 mg of iron, you need t…

Spinach is a great source of iron. 2.7mg per 100g. Also high in protein. I think there's a reason Popeye is all about spinach.

Re: How the vegan food trend made a star of the stinking jackfruit

#39

Post by hombre_fatal »

vram22 wrote: post #12
hombre_fatal wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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?

So is yaka the Mexican name for jackfruit? (Just started reading the article, in case it mentions that). Yes, I had the same thought about whether they confused jackfruit with durian (which AFAIK grows mainly in SE Asia). Never had it myself.

Yeah, force of habit. Never heard of jackfruit until HN where we get an article about them every few months as people discover them.

Two other fruits I think more Americans should try are guyaba/guava and guanabana. Both are somewhat annoying to eat due to the seeds, but they have some unique flavors. Those are my two go-to icecream flavors.

Unfortunately the lack of demand makes them expensive in the US where I was astounded. They almost give them away where I live in Mexico.

Same with dragon fruit. A single fruit was $8 in Texas. Meanwhile I get them from the pitaya guy who rolls down my street 4x for <$1.

Re: How the vegan food trend made a star of the stinking jackfruit

#40

Post by forinti »

hombre_fatal wrote: post #10
vram22 wrote: post #8

>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 roadsi…

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?

Those are what we call Jaca in Brazil. You're right: they don't have a bad smell.
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