7 ms·

Not popular in India? News to me. Maybe not all over India. But in Kerala, the state I am from, Jackfruit is pretty popular there and is used to make a wide var

by vivin 11y ago

Not popular in India? News to me. Maybe not all over India. But in Kerala, the state I am from, Jackfruit is pretty popular there and is used to make a wide variety of dishes. My grandparents house has many jackfruit trees and we always had jackfruit to eat. It tastes nothing like pulled pork to me though. It's mainly sweet and very slightly tangy/sour. Fresh jackfruit has a kind of "crunch" to it. I can't really describe the flavor without being self-referential... I mean, it kinda tastes like... jackfruit. Or maybe like pineapple mixed with banana? The smell can be overwhelming, especially when it goes bad. But it's not that bad when it's fresh. Oh and that sticky stuff is really sticky - hard to get off your clothes or your hands.

louhike 11y ago
> "Not popular in India? News to me." Yeah, you could find them everywhere in Karnataka and most of the states I went to in the South.
- danharaj 11y ago
  I think western writers have a silly perspective on India. It's more diverse than the European Union, really! How can one say anything at all about all of India at once?
  - msandford 11y ago
    Ignorance that's enabled by the whole place having a single name. Europe gets different treatment because all the countries have their own names, governments, etc. The regions of the US are surprisingly different in many ways, but may not even line up with the various state boundaries so most of the time it's just "America" too. Probably not as diverse as India (I've never been, so it's just a guess) but still nowhere near as homogeneous as some European countries are.
  - phaemon 11y ago
    What do you mean by "more diverse than the European Union"? In what way?
    - Rexxar 11y ago
      He means probably more different languages and religions.
    - vivin 11y ago
      The sheer diversity of language and culture in a place that is a third of the size of Europe. India "officially" has 122 languages, but over 780 have been counted. Going from one state to another is like going from one EU country to another; each of the 29 states has a different language, different writing-system, different culture, different cuisine, different traditions, different everything. Of course, there are similarities and towards the borders between states you get a kind of continuum of language and culture.
      - phaemon 11y ago
        Fair enough. I realise that the Indian states are very different, much like different EU countries. I don't think the EU has quite as many languages (and dialects) as that, though there are more than many people think. Have a quick look at the list here, for example: http://www.smo.uhi.ac.uk/saoghal/mion-chanain/en/ http://www.smo.uhi.ac.uk/saoghal/mion-chanain/en/ Many that previously existed have died out, of course. And as TV and radio became more prevelant, it did kill off a large number of dialects. I've noticed in the UK that in certain regions, it's the older folk who have the broadest accents and use the most dialect words, compared with younger people. Do you see the same thing happening in India, or are they managing to preserve local tradition alongside the mainstream?
        pm90 11y ago
        There are so many people that there will definitely be enough people to continue tradition. Usually, it is more convenient to marry someone who is from the same state, so that is what ends up happening (also: in, Arranged Marriage, the suitors are generally from the same state and maybe caste). However, there is also a lot of intermingling...but I don't see it becoming one homogeneous race (like the Han Chinese) anytime soon.
        digi_owl 11y ago
  - hinkley 11y ago
    As a westerner it's frustrating to me that my compatriots can't turn their statements around and see how it feels. If I said "okra is very popular in the U.S." Or heck even pineapple. I'd be half right and half wrong.
- markdown 11y ago
  It's quite popular in Fiji too, brought by the Girmityas. I love me some nice jackfruit curry. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Girmityas https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Girmityas
solutionyogi 11y ago
I am originally from Gujarat (a western state) and jackfruit is definitely not as popular as it is in South. There are no dishes in Gujarat which are made using jackfruit. I know this because I grew up in Surat (a city in Gujarat) but worked in Mangalore for 2.5 years. I personally love jack fruit especially fried jackfruit chips! Luckily, Indian Grocery stores in NYC carry those jackfruit chips. Completely agree that it's impossible to describe the taste, you just have to try it.
chriskanan 11y ago
The pulled pork reference is referring to unripe jack fruit, which has a very meaty mouthfeel. It is not sweet and has a different taste. I tried some in a Nepalese restaurant in Madison, WI, and it was very good: http://www.yelp.com/biz/himal-chuli-madison http://www.yelp.com/biz/himal-chuli-madison http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/himal-chuli-madison?select=vhGj0sIxYPxWsbIAMugyZg http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/himal-chuli-madison?select=vh...
- shas3 11y ago
  Unripe jackfruit is totally like pork in texture - pulled or cubed. Only, as is typical of plant-based food, it is not as juicy. You can use it in all the ways that you can use pork - stews, jambalayas, with rice - except in a sandwich. I'm pretty sure jackfruit is too dry for sandwiches. Though, if it lends itself to pickling like cabbage, that may be a good way to incorporate it into a sandwich.
  - erikpukinskis 11y ago
    If you cook it in a fatty vegetable broth it will be plenty juicy.
  - AndyNemmity 11y ago
    Here in Phoenix there's a place that does pulled pork sandwhiches with jackfruit, so clearly they are making it work somehow :)
    - lgas 11y ago
      Yeah the Randy Radish here in VA pulls it off. I'm not vegetarian/vegan but I thought it was pretty good. http://www.therandyradish.com/menu http://www.therandyradish.com/menu
- vivin 11y ago
  Ohh, ok. Yeah that's right. There is a dish in Kerala that's made from the unripe fruit and it does have a kind of meaty mouth-feel.
dennyabraham 11y ago
It's supposed to resemble pulled pork before it's ripened. I've never seen it personally, however, since I've only been able to find fresh jackfruit in the midwest in the last few years.
- deleted 11y ago
  [deleted]
chimeracoder 11y ago
> Not popular in India? News to me. No kidding. Jackfruit is everywhere in Bengali cuisine[0]! It's really popular with vegetarians and people on vrat, because it has a tougher texture (like meat) with certain preparations. I don't know what pulled pork tastes like, but I dislike even the smell of pork, whereas jackfruit is delicious. So I'm skeptical of that comparison as well. [0] West Bengal, too, not just East Bengali
seivan 11y ago
Haha, it actually looks like durian and I thought "fat chance, cockroaches or grasshopper smell less"
- sprokolopolis 11y ago
  While they might look similar, jackfruit is much less offensive to most people. Jackfruit has a sweet and floral aroma that will leave your hands smelling quite nice for a while. Ripe jackfruit tastes a bit like a mix between cantaloupe, pineapple and mango, plus some floral notes. I absolutely love it and wish I could find it in my neighborhood more often.
shlant 11y ago
the flavor of jackfruit is juicy fruit gum. Haven't had unripe jackfruit, but it most certainly does not TASTE like pulled pork. Maybe the texture.
yumraj 11y ago
Ditto. I'm from the north, U.P., and growing up unripe jackfruit (कटहल) was actually my absolute favorite dish, dry stir fried not the one with curry. Even in the U.S. we occasionally get the canned version which is generally Thai in origin. It is extremely sticky, so the trick to cut it is to apply cooking oil in your hands and then cut it. :) Interestingly I have never had ripe jackfruit.
rpenm 11y ago
I can't speak for everyone in Andhra, but cooked jackfruit regularly appears at my family's meals. More commonly eaten in the village than the city, perhaps. Popular with devout or health-conscious folks as a meat substitute. My cousin's father-in-law served jackfruit biryani at his wedding banquet.
sonabinu 11y ago
Same here. This is very popular in Kerala. I think it is unfair to say Jackfruit is not popular in India, Kerala is in India. Pulled pork? That's news ... It is a fruit that needs getting used to. To those who love it, there is nothing as great as the jackfruit!
bipin_nag 11y ago
It was surprising. Jackfruit is available even in a city like Delhi. I fondly remember feasting on sweet jackfruit at my grandparents place when I was younger. I would say it is a popular native fruit. I am skeptical about the 75 % wastage mentioned. That cannot be true.

by vivin 11y ago

louhike 11y ago

> "Not popular in India? News to me." Yeah, you could find them everywhere in Karnataka and most of the states I went to in the South.

danharaj 11y ago
I think western writers have a silly perspective on India. It's more diverse than the European Union, really! How can one say anything at all about all of India at once?
- msandford 11y ago
  Ignorance that's enabled by the whole place having a single name. Europe gets different treatment because all the countries have their own names, governments, etc. The regions of the US are surprisingly different in many ways, but may not even line up with the various state boundaries so most of the time it's just "America" too. Probably not as diverse as India (I've never been, so it's just a guess) but still nowhere near as homogeneous as some European countries are.
- phaemon 11y ago
  What do you mean by "more diverse than the European Union"? In what way?
  - Rexxar 11y ago
    He means probably more different languages and religions.
  - vivin 11y ago
    The sheer diversity of language and culture in a place that is a third of the size of Europe. India "officially" has 122 languages, but over 780 have been counted. Going from one state to another is like going from one EU country to another; each of the 29 states has a different language, different writing-system, different culture, different cuisine, different traditions, different everything. Of course, there are similarities and towards the borders between states you get a kind of continuum of language and culture.
    - phaemon 11y ago
      Fair enough. I realise that the Indian states are very different, much like different EU countries. I don't think the EU has quite as many languages (and dialects) as that, though there are more than many people think. Have a quick look at the list here, for example: http://www.smo.uhi.ac.uk/saoghal/mion-chanain/en/ http://www.smo.uhi.ac.uk/saoghal/mion-chanain/en/ Many that previously existed have died out, of course. And as TV and radio became more prevelant, it did kill off a large number of dialects. I've noticed in the UK that in certain regions, it's the older folk who have the broadest accents and use the most dialect words, compared with younger people. Do you see the same thing happening in India, or are they managing to preserve local tradition alongside the mainstream?
      - pm90 11y ago
        There are so many people that there will definitely be enough people to continue tradition. Usually, it is more convenient to marry someone who is from the same state, so that is what ends up happening (also: in, Arranged Marriage, the suitors are generally from the same state and maybe caste). However, there is also a lot of intermingling...but I don't see it becoming one homogeneous race (like the Han Chinese) anytime soon.
      - digi_owl 11y ago
- hinkley 11y ago
  As a westerner it's frustrating to me that my compatriots can't turn their statements around and see how it feels. If I said "okra is very popular in the U.S." Or heck even pineapple. I'd be half right and half wrong.
markdown 11y ago
It's quite popular in Fiji too, brought by the Girmityas. I love me some nice jackfruit curry. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Girmityas https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Girmityas

solutionyogi 11y ago

I am originally from Gujarat (a western state) and jackfruit is definitely not as popular as it is in South. There are no dishes in Gujarat which are made using jackfruit. I know this because I grew up in Surat (a city in Gujarat) but worked in Mangalore for 2.5 years. I personally love jack fruit especially fried jackfruit chips! Luckily, Indian Grocery stores in NYC carry those jackfruit chips. Completely agree that it's impossible to describe the taste, you just have to try it.

chriskanan 11y ago

The pulled pork reference is referring to unripe jack fruit, which has a very meaty mouthfeel. It is not sweet and has a different taste. I tried some in a Nepalese restaurant in Madison, WI, and it was very good: http://www.yelp.com/biz/himal-chuli-madison http://www.yelp.com/biz/himal-chuli-madison http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/himal-chuli-madison?select=vhGj0sIxYPxWsbIAMugyZg http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/himal-chuli-madison?select=vh...

shas3 11y ago
Unripe jackfruit is totally like pork in texture - pulled or cubed. Only, as is typical of plant-based food, it is not as juicy. You can use it in all the ways that you can use pork - stews, jambalayas, with rice - except in a sandwich. I'm pretty sure jackfruit is too dry for sandwiches. Though, if it lends itself to pickling like cabbage, that may be a good way to incorporate it into a sandwich.
- erikpukinskis 11y ago
  If you cook it in a fatty vegetable broth it will be plenty juicy.
- AndyNemmity 11y ago
  Here in Phoenix there's a place that does pulled pork sandwhiches with jackfruit, so clearly they are making it work somehow :)
  - lgas 11y ago
    Yeah the Randy Radish here in VA pulls it off. I'm not vegetarian/vegan but I thought it was pretty good. http://www.therandyradish.com/menu http://www.therandyradish.com/menu
vivin 11y ago
Ohh, ok. Yeah that's right. There is a dish in Kerala that's made from the unripe fruit and it does have a kind of meaty mouth-feel.

dennyabraham 11y ago

It's supposed to resemble pulled pork before it's ripened. I've never seen it personally, however, since I've only been able to find fresh jackfruit in the midwest in the last few years.

deleted 11y ago
[deleted]

chimeracoder 11y ago

> Not popular in India? News to me. No kidding. Jackfruit is everywhere in Bengali cuisine[0]! It's really popular with vegetarians and people on vrat, because it has a tougher texture (like meat) with certain preparations. I don't know what pulled pork tastes like, but I dislike even the smell of pork, whereas jackfruit is delicious. So I'm skeptical of that comparison as well. [0] West Bengal, too, not just East Bengali

seivan 11y ago

Haha, it actually looks like durian and I thought "fat chance, cockroaches or grasshopper smell less"

sprokolopolis 11y ago
While they might look similar, jackfruit is much less offensive to most people. Jackfruit has a sweet and floral aroma that will leave your hands smelling quite nice for a while. Ripe jackfruit tastes a bit like a mix between cantaloupe, pineapple and mango, plus some floral notes. I absolutely love it and wish I could find it in my neighborhood more often.

shlant 11y ago

the flavor of jackfruit is juicy fruit gum. Haven't had unripe jackfruit, but it most certainly does not TASTE like pulled pork. Maybe the texture.

yumraj 11y ago

Ditto. I'm from the north, U.P., and growing up unripe jackfruit (कटहल) was actually my absolute favorite dish, dry stir fried not the one with curry. Even in the U.S. we occasionally get the canned version which is generally Thai in origin. It is extremely sticky, so the trick to cut it is to apply cooking oil in your hands and then cut it. :) Interestingly I have never had ripe jackfruit.

rpenm 11y ago

I can't speak for everyone in Andhra, but cooked jackfruit regularly appears at my family's meals. More commonly eaten in the village than the city, perhaps. Popular with devout or health-conscious folks as a meat substitute. My cousin's father-in-law served jackfruit biryani at his wedding banquet.

sonabinu 11y ago

Same here. This is very popular in Kerala. I think it is unfair to say Jackfruit is not popular in India, Kerala is in India. Pulled pork? That's news ... It is a fruit that needs getting used to. To those who love it, there is nothing as great as the jackfruit!

bipin_nag 11y ago

It was surprising. Jackfruit is available even in a city like Delhi. I fondly remember feasting on sweet jackfruit at my grandparents place when I was younger. I would say it is a popular native fruit. I am skeptical about the 75 % wastage mentioned. That cannot be true.