Believed to be native to the rainforests of the Western Ghats of southwestern India, the jackfruit is now grown extensively throughout Southeast Asia.

The largest tree-borne fruit in the world, the jackfruit can weigh anywhere between 30 to 80 pounds (approximately 40 kg) in weight and up to 36 inches (30-40 cms) long and 20 inches in diameter. The exterior of the fruit is covered by an unusual, spiky green skin which turns yellow when ripe. The aroma of the ripening fruit is extremely sweet.

The interior consists of large edible bulbs of sweet and aromatic yellow flesh; each one enclosing a smooth, oval, light-brown seed. In a single fruit, there may be 100 or up to 500 of these edible bulbs attached to the central core. The flesh is viable for no more than three or four days. When fully ripe, the whole fruit emits an overpowering aroma.

Two main varieties are found in Thailand.

• Jackfruit with yellow-orange flesh
  The fibrous yellow-orange flesh has a very sharp sweet taste and is highly aromatic. Whilst considered to be a local delicacy in most Southeast Asian countries, the aroma is far too overwhelming for the western palette. Furthermore, the small edible bulb has a soft and distinctively slippery texture, somewhat akin to raw oysters. Hence like durian, enjoying this variety of jackfruit is an acquired taste.

• Jackfruit with yellow-flesh
  The flesh is crisp and crunchy, and not quite as sweet. It is more palatable to western tastes and is more important commercially.

Jackfruit is usually split into two with a large knife; each half is forced open by hand. The fruit pods are prized out and slit open to remove the seeds.

The fruit is eaten fresh or used as an ingredient in Thai desserts. For example, thin strips or small cubes of jackfruit are added to home-made coconut ice cream (ai tim kathi sod), or to a refreshingly fragrant crushed ice dessert (ruam mitr), prepared with coconut milk and cooked tapioca strips in syrup. Fresh jackfruit can also be stuffed with glutinous (sticky) rice or used as a topping for many other traditional Thai desserts.

A versatile fruit, every part of the jackfruit is edible. Young leaves are served with papaya salad; flowers are blanched and served with a hot chilli-and-shrimp dip. The seeds are also edible, usually boiled in salt water and roasted. Given its natural sweetness, jackfruit is a high-energy fruit rich in vitamin A, phosphorus and calcium.

A fruit with an auspicious Thai name; ‘noon’ means to offer support. It is believed that the presence of jackfruit trees in a garden or plantation augments one’s good fortune and increases one’s spheres of influence, winning more supporters and well-wishers who are ever ready to extend their support as well as patronage.