Do You Always Have To Cook Jackfruit Before Eating It?

Jackfruit is one of the most unique fruits in the world, in more ways than one. Its flavor can change from sweet to neutral depending on ripeness and its uniquely shredded texture actually makes it an ideal alternative for barbecue meat. Plus, it's easy to find in canned form so you don't have to worry about buying the fruit at peak ripeness.

One aspect about jackfruit that tends to confuse people is how to prepare it. Most of the time, it is recommended to cook jackfruit but it is not necessarily a requirement. A good rule to follow is that under-ripe jackfruit should be cooked, as it tends to be less sweet and tougher in texture.

The only other major factor about cooking jackfruit is what exactly you intend to use the jackfruit for. Savory dishes, like vegetarian barbecue, are more likely to use younger jackfruit. As such, it is more likely that the jackfruit needs to be cooked, both to make the texture and taste more appealing and to impart the desired flavors onto it.

Jackfruit can be prepared and cooked in nearly every way imaginable, including baking, pan frying, air frying, and much more. The exact method of preparing and cooking jackfruit can vary from dish to dish, but overall there are several consistent rules and methods worth remembering. Perhaps the most universal tip for cooking with jackfruit is to buy it canned.

It might sound counterintuitive, but jackfruit is a food that tastes just as good canned as it does when it's fresh. Plus, there are several varieties of canned jackfruit, like younger jackfruit stored in brine versus riper jackfruit stored in syrup. Buying canned jackfruit takes away the struggle of finding a ripe jackfruit and the difficulty of carrying and cutting on up; the different types of canned jackfruit can also serve as a shortcut to making certain dishes, i.e. buying sweeter canned jackfruit in order to make dessert.

Jackfruit can be easily added to salads or smoothies. It can also be shredded for vegetarian pulled pork, used as a meat alternative in tacos, or added to soups or curries in which it will soak up flavors like a sponge. There are so many ways to get creative when cooking jackfruit, but if you aren't in the mood for cooking, eating raw jackfruit is perfectly fine.