Jackfruit? Have you tried it? If so, please enlighten.

[japple]

And then there's the American audience. The jackfruit sold in Trader Joe's is immature — harvested at about 4 1/2 months. The green jackfruit hasn't developed its sugars.

While ripe jackfruit is sweet and has a kind of funky aroma, the green jackfruit has not developed its sugars. It's a blank canvas, just waiting for ... barbecue sauce.

Yes, in the United States, jackfruit is being pushed as the next big meat substitute for vegetarians.

http://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2017/09/03/547337695/whatever-happened-to-the-plan-to-make-jackfruit-more-popular?utm_campaign=storyshare&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social

[silverweb]

1. Sounds worth checking out!

No, I haven't tried it yet, but it's now on my shopping list.

[Laffy Kat]

2. My two cents:

I tried bit off a friend's plate during a brunch a few weeks ago, meh. Wish I did like it because I'm really trying to transition to no meat. I won't write it off yet.

[japple]

3. If I lived anywhere near Trader Joe's, I would get a can and try it.

Alas, I live in the boondocks and the closest TJ's is 50 miles away.

[silverweb]

6. I'll let you know what I think when I try it.

Have to do some shopping this week, anyway, and TJ's isn't very far. If I think it's all that, I'll let you know. It's also available on Amazon.

[NotASurfer]

4. Tried the packaged barbecue jackfruit, can't remember which store it was from

It was edible.

Partly due to the barbecue sauce it was packaged in (I know I can do better barbecue sauce!) and partly due to me heating it in a microwave. The texture is there, but it was missing some flavor and char. I think the NPR article is a better approach, baking or broiling would help with carmelization/char you get from grilling usually, but I don't have Trader Joe's at any convenient distance to try doctoring up the canned product.

I'd probably like it in a red curry too, think it might work out well.

[irisblue]

5. Jackfruit is at my local Krogers, in produce. nt

[eppur_se_muova]

7. Tried the ripe variety in the can (thanks to an Indian postdoc). Thought it was pretty good.

Would make a great lassi. It's been a while, but it reminded me of something similar to very ripe mango or (canned) peaches.

My meat substitute is "without".

http://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/jackfruit-shake-recipe/

[Hortensis]

8. Had no idea about this. Looked up a picture and I've seen it at H Mart,

a Panasian market, but I don't think every time because I don't remember it very well. Also, I like to grab something new each time I happen to be there and never arrived home wondering what I would do with this weird-looking thing.

This WaPo article has some suggestions about prep (but unfortunately no recipes). I'd searched to find out if it would ripen after picking, and apparently it will on the counter in a few days -- helpful to know for those who want it for a meat substitute. Seemingly the texture softens substantially and loses most of its fibrous "goat tree" character as it does. And the flavor's described as remniscent of Juicy Fruit gum.

" First, coat your gloved hands and a long, sharp knife with food-safe oil — cooking oil spray works well — to protect against that stubborn latex sap.  Cover the work surface with something disposable." Okay. Good to know. Except this seems to be describing opening a ripe fruit. Do unripe fruits release sap?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/read-this-before-you-lug-home-that-jackfruit/2016/06/06/7d45b17e-282f-11e6-b989-4e5479715b54_story.html?utm_term=.d265fcc55aa8

[Retrograde]

9. I've had jackfruit

It was a pain to prepare. You start with a huge, heavy, rough-skinned oblongish thing that has to be split open. Then you have to separate the edible parts -which look like seeds- from the sticky pulp that surrounds them. The fruit contains a substance that gets all over your hands and is difficult to wash off. At the end of all this work you're left with a smallish bowl of what IMHO tasted like an insipid melon.

It seems to be the latest fad food. If I try it again I'll have someone else clean and prepare it.

[japple]

10. That was my takeaway from the articles. I might eat it if someone else prepared it

or I might buy a can of it and experiment with it.