By Emily Buehler, Weaver Street Market Website Coordinator
You may have noticed the boxes of “jackfruit” in our stores. The vegan food is made from a tropical Asian fruit that’s in the same family as mulberry and breadfruit. Jackfruit is the largest tree fruit there is; a fruit can weigh eighty pounds and reach almost three feet long! The tree is easy to grow and drought resistant. The starchy, fibrous fruit looks a lot like shredded pork.
I bought the barbecue-flavor jackfruit on sale but then avoided eating it for months; I thought it would be difficult to make, or maybe it would taste super weird and I wouldn’t want to finish it. Finally, though, I got tired of the bearded man on the box staring up at me each time I opened the fridge door. I pulled out the box and read the directions.
The jackfruit was already seasoned with barbecue sauce. I basically had to open the bag, pour it into a pan, and heat it for two minutes. It was simple. And it was good! It tasted like barbecue sauce. (It was a little on the spicy, vinegary side.) The fruit had the consistency of artichoke hearts; it was smoother than expected, not tough or chewy at all.
If you’re looking for a new vegan option, and you like some spice, jackfruit may be your new best friend.