DEMAND FOR JACKFRUIT RISES
IT CAN smell like rotting onions, weigh up to 50kg and the skin is leathery. But demand for jackfruit is soaring in the UK as a meat alternative.
When cooked, the Asian fruit resembles the texture of meats such as pork and beef. Its appearance on menus has coincided with the fast-growing number of vegans in the country – estimated at 3.5 million.
Supermarkets and restaurant chains have pounced on its foodie appeal. Unable to be cultivated commercially in Britain, jackfruit is imported in cans or frozen and can be eaten dried. Before being split open, it can produce an odour like onions, but the flesh smells sweet.
Each fruit contains multiple yellowcoloured edible bulbs and its seeds can be ground into flour. Sainsbury’s is selling its own-brand sweet & smoky BBQ pulled jackfruit for £3 (about R56). Restaurant chains have also joined the trend, with Gourmet Burger Kitchen last week launching a jackfruit burger.
Pizza Express uses the fruit, which comes from the same family as the fig and mulberry, on its vegan puttanesca pizza.
Jackfruit is thought to have originated in India, where it is sometimes seen as an unappetising “poor food”. Kerala state in India is the world’s largest jackfruit supplier. It is also grown in Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia and Australia. |