Jamaican Jackfruit

We were first introduced to jackfruit one day when we were leaving Doctor's Cave Bathing Club. One of the street vendors whose main spoil was selling sugarcane, asked us if we wanted to try some jackfruit. Being the brave adventurous missionaries that we are (okay, Todd is) we tried it. It had a distinct sweet flavor of it's own. One, unlike I had ever tasted before. And, it was very crunchy. We all liked it well enough to buy a quarter of a slice. The guy showed Todd what part to eat and when we got it home, Todd cleaned it and I made a fruit salad with papaya, pineapple, apples, bananas and jackfruit. It was quite tasty. So, when Mama, Daddy, and Howie visited us a couple of weeks ago I wanted them to try as many of the Jamaican "treats" as they could. On the way back from Dunn's River falls we stopped at a roadside vendor and bought Daddy some sugar cane and a jackfruit. Todd put it in the back and on the ride home the odor began to drift forward and to me it just had a sweet smell, but Howie said that it smelled like his dog's food bowls when they need to be cleaned out.

When we got home, I decided to clean it. I remember Todd complaining about how sticky it was. But, you know, how sticky could it possibly be? Let me tell you it is the stickiest stuff I have ever had to work with. You know how sticky the sap is on a fresh Christmas tree? Well, it's worse than that and it just strings and it won't come off. More on clean-up later.

After getting a quarter of it sectioned off, I cut off the top of the slice.

The fruit is made up of hundreds of pods.

Each pod contains a huge seed that can be roasted and eaten as well.

The pod itself is the fruit part that is eaten.

Mama said that it tastes like a sweet onion, I think Howie said it tastes better than it smells and you know Daddy, he likes and eats anything. It's a great filler for fruit salad and I like it. Unlike the curry goat that I just can't make myself eat.

The clean-up was awful. I picked and scrubbed and scrubbed and picked with every household cleaner I could find and finally just resorted to wiping with an old rag and threw it away when I got done. As for Todd's knife handle, I think it's still sticky. I just put it in the sink in some soapy water to "soak" and somebody got tired of it being in the way a did something with it. Probably my precious mother who just couldn't understand why I wouldn't let her clean her room and bathroom on the morning she left.