A wedding to celebrate the goodness of jackfruit

Once very much part of the food culture of Keralites, the ubiquitous jackfruit fell from popularity after recent changes in eating habits and preferences. Neglected for long, some people and policy makers have begun to recognize the goodness of the versatile fruit - which can be eaten raw or cooked and can also be processed for a longer shelf life. 

Isn’t it pity that we search for exotic and costly fruits, even as we let this wonder fruit rot in our backyard? 

This was exactly the question James P Mathew, a veteran farmer from Palakkad in Kerala, was trying to put across when he decided to celebrate his son’s wedding with a jackfruit feast.  Mathew is planning to serve a sumptuous meal with 18 varieties of jackfruit dishes to the guests at the ceremony.

   This jackfruit lover is taking the wedding as an opportunity to spread awareness on the potential of the enormous fruit. Mathew has arranged for 50 kg of processed jackfruit to prepare savouries for the wedding feast on 15 September at Kanjirampuzha in Palakkad. 

The guests, including relatives, neighbours, agricultural scientists and organic farmers will be welcomed with the juice of the largest tree-borne fruit in the world. Traditional jack dishes like Chakkappuzhukku, fries and jackfruit payasam will enjoy a respectable position along with mutton, fish and chicken varieties at the dinner. Not so popular jack delicacies like pickles, wine, jackfruit brine, dried jackfruit will also find a place in the feast among other dishes.   

As the seasonal fruit requires quite some time to process, Mathew even postponed the wedding ceremony of his son Lino for over six months! 

The 67-year-old farmer has been trying to popularise the giant tropical fruit for over 15 years and has been providing training to scores of people to make processed food out of jackfruit. 

People are not aware of the multiple benefits of jackfruit, Mathew told The Hindu. Jackfruit is a rich source of nutrients and contains proteins, carbohydrates, minerals and vitamins. It also has medicinal properties and helps to strengthen the immune system. The fruit also has anti-hypertension, anti-ulcer he said. It also prevents cancer, Mathew claimed. 

Several products like wine, juice, vinegar, pickle, biscuit, pappad, sweets, canned products, baby food etc can be prepared out of jackfruit, he said. 

Mathew, who has also developed a set of jackfruit processing devices, prescribes the fruit as a solution for the food scarcity. 

• Jackfruit
• wedding
• wedding feast
• tropical wonder fruit