Dried Jackfruit

Name: Dried jackfruit — the ripe flesh of jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) that has been dried or fried into chips, strips or chewy pieces. It is not the same as young green jackfruit used as a meat substitute. The fresh fruit has its own page under Tropical Fruits.

Description

Jackfruit is native to the Western Ghats of southern India and is now grown across the tropics. Its sweet, fragrant, yellow ripe flesh is eaten fresh, and since the fruit is huge and ripens all at once, drying and frying are traditional ways of preserving the flesh. Crispy jackfruit chips are a popular snack in Kerala, Sri Lanka, Thailand and the Philippines.

Many dried jackfruit snacks are vacuum-fried or deep-fried in oil, such as coconut or palm oil, which adds fat and calories, while air-dried or freeze-dried versions are lighter. The flavour is sweet and tropical, often described as a mix of banana, pineapple and mango.

Main nutrition value

Dried jackfruit provides concentrated natural sugars and carbohydrate, along with fibre, potassium and some vitamin C and B vitamins, depending on how it is processed.

How best to be consumed

Check the label to see whether the jackfruit is dried or fried, since the two are quite different.

1. Choose air-dried or freeze-dried jackfruit over fried chips where possible.
2. Eat as a snack in small portions, or add to trail mix.
3. Chop and add to muesli, porridge or yoghurt.
4. Check the ingredients for added sugar, oil and preservatives.
5. Keep sealed, since dried jackfruit softens quickly when exposed to air.

Overconsumption could cause…

Drying removes water but leaves the sugar, so dried fruit is far more concentrated in sugar and energy than the fresh fruit.

1. Extra calories and fat from vacuum- or deep-fried jackfruit chips.
2. High sugar intake if large amounts are eaten, since the dried fruit is concentrated.
3. Digestive discomfort, such as bloating, from the fibre and sugar.
4. Allergic reactions in a small number of people sensitive to jackfruit or related plants, and in some cases to birch pollen.

GroupsDried FruitsMulberry family (Moraceae)Dried

Made fromJackfruit

Related foodsDried FigsDried MulberriesCurrantsDried AmlaDried AppleDried Apricots

Wikipedia — Jackfruit, used for origin and general background: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackfruit Wikipedia — Dried fruit, used for general background on drying and storing fruit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dried_fruit