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

theguardian.com

1–10 of 54 posts

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

#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?

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

#3
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.

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

#4
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?

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).

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

#5
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?

Most people do understand that you need to monitor your nutrition more on a vegetarian or vegan diet, especially if you're converting. For food that's a mimic, it's already hard enough to make something that tastes similar that making it nutritionally equivalent is not realistic.

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

#6
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?

Yes, everyone understands that. Especially vegans.

I really wouldn’t worry about one of the most obese countries in the entire world lacking for calories and protein.

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

#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.

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

#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 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.

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

#9
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.

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.

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

#10
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?

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