This huge relative of the breadfruit and fig can weigh up to 100 pounds, which is how it earned its reputation as the world's largest fruit. The tropical jackfruit grows in parts of Africa, Brazil and Southeast Asia. It has a pebbly skin and misshapen oblong shape. When green, jackfruit is used more like a vegetable and typically cooked--both its flesh and edible seeds are included in curried dishes. The skin of a ripe jackfruit takes on a yellow-brown color, and the yellow flesh is juicy and subtly sweet. The ripe fruit is typically consumed raw, either in salads, desserts or out of hand. In the United States, jackfruit is only available canned or dried.
From The Food Lover's Companion, Fourth edition by Sharon Tyler Herbst and Ron Herbst. Copyright © 2007, 2001, 1995, 1990 by Barron's Educational Series, Inc.