Artocarpus integrifolia L.
It’s a classic case of “love or hate”: some people are delighted with the sweet, sticky pulp hidden inside this large fruit with thick, rough skin, and there are those who cannot stand even its intense perfume. Good to be eaten fresh, ripe “soft” jackfruit also renders tasty pastries and compotes, as well as a makeshift kind of “ice cream” – simply freeze the fleshy segments and enjoy the treat. The “hard” jackfruit variety, with firmer pulp, can be cooked and shredded into the so-called “jackfruit meat”. Appreciated by vegetarians, it can be sautéed to prepare fillings and even be used to make vegetarian Coxinha (mock chicken drumstick). Although they are not popular in Brazil, the seeds can also be eaten, roasted or cooked.
