The jackfruit, the fruit of the Artocarpus heterophyllus plant, is rich in vitamin C and vitamin B, and is useful for the well-being of skin and eyes and for the immune system. Let's find out better.
Description of the plant
Jackfruit, sometimes referred to as jako or giaca, whose scientific name is Artocarpus heterophyllus, is an exotic fruit with a bizarre appearance, not widely known in European markets.
It is the largest tree fruit in the world, being able to reach even a meter in length and half a kilogram in weight. The gigantic fruits have a protective skin studded with small spikes, inside which we find numerous seeds covered with fibrous yellow pulp, sweet, whose typical aroma seems to be a cross of pineapple and mango .
It is endemic to India and neighboring countries in South East Asia and has great difficulty growing in countries where temperatures are near zero.
Jackfruit, ally of
Wellness of the skin and eyes, blood, heart, colon, immune system
Calories, nutritional values and properties of jackfruit
The jackfruit contains 95 kcal per 100 g.
Furthermore, 100 g of product contain:
- Fats 0.6 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Sodium 2 mg
- Potassium 448 mg
- Carbohydrates 23 g
- Sugars 19 g
- Fibers 1, 5 g
- Proteins 1.7 g
It is sometimes included among the " superfoods ", let's see why. The pulp provides a good amount of calories but is low in fat, it also has antioxidant properties derived from vitamin C (100 grams contain about a quarter of the recommended average daily dose) and is rich in vitamin B6, vitamin B1, which help to give vigor to the immune system.
The dietary fiber of which the fruit is composed is laxative and has the ability to protect the colon from some cancers while the seeds are rich in proteins.
Regarding minerals, it is an excellent source of potassium (important for blood pressure), magnesium, iron and calcium. Sugars and calories make it an energizing food, ideal for athletes; and all the numerous antioxidants, flavonoids, carotenoids, help eyesight health and prevent damage caused by free radicals.
Like jackfruit, durian is also considered a superfood: let's find out better
Contraindications
None in particular. The only serious danger to health is to be under the tree when the fruit of several tens of kilograms decides to break away.
Fun facts about the jackfruit
Each ripe fruit can contain up to 500 seeds and therefore up to 500 pulp bulbs. It is the symbolic fruit of Bangladesh and considered sacred and well-wishing in South India.
How to eat jackfruit and how to cook
The fresh or cooked bulbs of the ripe fruit, the young and unripe cooked fruits, the boiled or fried seeds ... there are many possibilities that this fruit offers. In the countries of origin the ripe fruits are cut in two and the bulbs are extracted and emptied of the seed to be consumed or processed in the kitchen or dried or in syrup.
The unripe and green fruits, devoid of pulp and seeds and rich in fiber, are cooked as vegetables. The seeds are dried or used fresh, often fried or boiled as if they were chestnuts.
