A WHOLE NEW WORLD TO DISCOVER LA JACQUE, UN CONTINENT À DÉCOUVRIR While globalisation has torn down the barriers of ignorance, there are still some jealously guarded secrets, some hidden islands of knowledge when it comes to certain fruit and their many benefits. Alors que la mondialisation a pulvérisé les barrages de l’ignorance, il reste des îlots préservés, jalousement protégés, de fruits dont on garde soigneusement bienfaits et connaissance. BY FRANÇOIS SIMON We’re thinking of the jackfruit, also known as the poor man’s fruit – an odd choice for a fruit that has so much to offer. Let us start by looking at where its name originated. You might be forgiven for thinking it has something to do with the name Jack, but in fact it does not. Jack derives from the Hebrew name Ya’aqov, which means “to supplant” or “to hold by the heel”, whereas our lush jackfruit has any one of a number of origins: the Portuguese name for it is jaca, the Indian version derives from the Hindi word chakka, which is also the name for the fruit. And finally, the Latin jaccus, which means “coat” and points to a vague similarity between the skin of the jackfruit and the garment. In the end, it does not really matter, and the uncertainty has contributed to the legend of this fruit that enjoys high status in some countries, and deservedly so. It is the national fruit of Bangladesh and in Thailand, it is considered to be a lucky tree because its wood provides the yellow dye for the robes of Buddhist monks. The jackfruit originated in India and Bangladesh and is mainly grown in South-East Asia, Brazil, the Comoros, Reunion Island – where the tree is known as pied jack (jack plant), and the fruit as jack mûr (ripe jack) –, Madagascar, where it is called amphalibe and finally, since the 18th century, Mauritius, where the jackfruit is called “jack plant”, and used in curries, salads and desserts. A HIGH-ENERGY FRUIT What immediately strikes you about the jackfruit is neither its origins nor its various names, but just how enormous it is. It does not grow like other fruit does. It brazenly clings to the trunk of the tree. This puts it in the cauliflory category of plants, i.e., those whose fruit grows directly on the trunk or large branches, as is the case with the papaya and durian. The jackfruit is probably the biggest fruit: melons and watermelons may as well get their coats because our friend the jackfruit can weigh up to 50 kg and measure up to 1 m long and 50 cm wide. The jackfruit is a venerable old tree. It can reach up to 29 m in height and is evergreen. It produces a large amount of latex that is unusually sticky, to the delight of adhesive manufacturers. But the best thing about it is that it lives a very long time. It produces 100 to 250 jackfruits per year (sometimes up to 500) and starts producing from its third year, which is what makes it so popular in the countries it has chosen to grace with its presence. But let us take a closer look at the fruit. Look inside where you can see the big yellow lobes (or bulbs). Go ahead, try them: they are edible. The first thing you will notice is a banana and pineapple flavour, which is what makes the jackfruit as popular and sought-after as bananas and mangoes. It goes without saying that the jackfruit has the kind of nutrient profile that makes nutritionists giddy. It is a high-energy fruit that packs a huge punch. A dozen lobes will keep someone going for the entire working day. It is a miracle fruit on a par with wheat and rice. High AngelaMacario/iStock Jackfruit
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