Jackfruit vs. breadfruit; which one do you like? It may be hard for first-time buyers to tell the differences between the two. But don’t worry because all of the in-depth information you need about jackfruit and breadfruit is in this post.
Despite their similarity in appearance and features, jackfruit and breadfruit are certainly not the same. If you carelessly buy the wrong type when you’re trying to cook a recipe with the other type of fruit, you’ll end up with a disappointing result.
So please refer to the detailed information below to be more precise when shopping for jackfruit and breadfruit.
Common Knowledge About Jackfruit
The jackfruit tree is a tropical fruit tree with large, rough, but delicious fruits. Jackfruit belongs to the Moraceae family (mulberry/ fig family) and grows widely in Brazil and Southeast Asia.
Many believe that jackfruit is native to the area between the Western Ghats (Southern India), Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and the rainforests of Southeast Asian countries. In addition, jackfruit is also the national fruit of Bangladesh.
Suitable for lowland areas, jackfruit grows vigorously and brings many economic benefits to people in the tropics. Dubbed the world’s largest fruit, the weight of jackfruit is capable of reaching 120 pounds and over 20 inches in diameter.
Each year, a mature jackfruit tree can produce about 200 such large fruits.
When ripe, jackfruit often has a sweet taste and characteristic aroma (1). You can use either ripe or unripe products. Ripe jackfruit is often eaten raw or dried as a dessert. Besides, people can also eat green jackfruit and sell it as vegetarian meat.
Learn more about jackfruits and how to use them through this informative guide.
Things You May Not Know About Breadfruit
The name helps you imagine the texture of this fruit. Though very ripe fruits can be enjoyed raw, you usually have to cook breadfruit first. It has a potato-like taste and has a similar look to the inside of the bread. The largest breadfruit weighs about 13 pounds.
Breadfruit belongs to the family Moraceae as jackfruit and is a flowering plant. According to research, it is native to New Guinea, the Philippines, and the Maluku Islands as a descendant of the Artocarpus camansi (the breadnut).
Nowadays, breadfruit grows in more than 90 countries, especially in tropical regions such as Southeast Asia, the Pacific Ocean, and even Africa.
Discover everything about breadfruit – a major agricultural product and source of food.
The Differences Between Jackfruit And Breadfruit
Even without knowing their family names, you can still easily guess that jackfruit and breadfruit are closely related. Their appearance is so similar that many people confuse one with another. However, you can refer to the comparison table here to discover their differences.
Origin
Jackfruit and breadfruit share the same plant family, but there are many factors that separate them from each other. Scroll down to find out more!
Jackfruit
The jackfruit tree originates in India and its name also comes from here. In the South, Indians call jackfruit chakka pazham. This is the source of the fruit’s Portuguese name jaca, from which the term “jackfruit” in English came.
In addition, it has several versions of the name in other countries, such as kanun in Thailand, kathal in Bangladesh, and in Malaysia as Nangka.
Breadfruit
Breadfruit’s history is more impressive than that of jackfruit. Breadfruit originated in the South Pacific, now in the region of Indonesia, Malaysia, and New Guinea.
Around 3000 BC, thanks to local seafarers, breadfruit spread throughout the Pacific Ocean. Europeans discovered it in the late 1500s and valued it as an important starchy food. (2)
Its journey to other countries was also fraught with difficulties. But today, this fruit is available in nearly a hundred countries, becoming a staple food in many places, and providing more than 800 pounds of fruits annually per tree.
Growing Region
Both jackfruit and breadfruit are suitable for tropical environments. Therefore, their cultivation areas have some similarities.
Jackfruit
Despite its high value, people don’t usually grow jackfruit in commercial orchards. In many countries, you can see it on the sidewalk (to provide shade), scattered in woodlands, or grown in tandem with other fruit trees.
Jackfruit trees are difficult to find in the US but have a high frequency in Hawaii and southern Florida. You can find this tree easily in tropical and subtropical regions.
A few examples are South and Southeast Asia, South America, Australia, Central and East Africa, and the Pacific Islands.
Breadfruit
Widely adaptable to many geographical conditions, breadfruit can grow in many places. Usually, the best temperature for it to grow is between 21 and 32ºC. The lowlands at the elevations of 600-650 meters in the equatorial region are the best place for it.
Based on their versatility, breadfruits are grown a lot in South Florida and the Caribbean. This is also one of the main crops for the people of Hawaii and the Pacific Islands. Other notable breadfruit-cultivating regions are Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia.
Appearance
Many people think that the most difficult thing to distinguish between these two fruits is probably the appearance. However, if you look closely, this is the factor that helps you identify jackfruit and breadfruit.
Jackfruit
Jackfruit has fruits hanging in thick bunches on the main branches and the trunk. Although they have different sizes, most jackfruits are elongated and plumpy. People consider it to be the largest fruit in the world
It is covered in a thick, rough, and spiky rind. The peel of unripe jackfruit is green. For a ripe one, it either remains green or turns yellow and brown.
The edible part of the jackfruit is on the inside, also known as the pulp. Jackfruit flesh is usually yellow, depending on whether it is dark or light.
These chunks of flesh surround quite big and brownish (also edible) seeds. The white core or rag contains a lot of latex and must be properly removed before you can enjoy the fruit.
Follow this A to Z instruction on how to cut jackfruit for newcomers.
Breadfruit
Breadfruit has hundreds of varieties worldwide. However, for the most part, it is smaller than a jackfruit and only as big as a melon. Breadfruit is oblong, round, and plump.
Like other fruits in the family, the peel of the breadfruit is thorny but not pointed and has a light or dark green, yellow, and brown color.
When you split the fruit in half, you will see the breadfruit flesh is milky white or slightly yellow. Breadfruit has two types, either with or without seeds depending on the type.
Taste
The taste of jackfruit is completely different from breadfruit. One is sweet and fruity, while the other is like a potato or sweet potato.
Jackfruit
Jackfruit brings an unmistakably tropical flavor. Like most tropical fruits, suhc as mangoes, pineapples, or bananas, jackfruit has a distinctive aroma and sweetness.
The outside of jackfruit looks quite scary, but the inside of their flesh is extremely attractive and luscious. When unripe, jackfruit has almost no taste. However, ripe jackfruit’s flavor and aroma are quite strong.
Ripe jackfruit flesh has a meat-like texture that is available in two forms. One is usually soft, mushy, and rather fibrous. The other type is crispy, but the sweetness is slighter. Both can give the mouth feel similar to that of chewy fruit-flavored gums.
Breadfruit
Breadfruits are quite strange in that you have to cook them first. Therefore, one can eat either ripe or unripe types. Because its starch turns into sugar during the ripening process, the riper the breadfruit gets, the sweeter it will be.
There are many ways to prepare, such as boiled, steamed, watered, pickled, or more complex as a stew, soup, and curry, depending on its maturation level.
As mentioned above, breadfruit tastes like a loaf of bread. The flesh is firm and rich in starch like a potato. You can dry, grind, and use it as all-purpose flour.
Nutritional Value
What may surprise you is the rich source of nutrients found in these two fruits. They can play a role in preventing many kinds of diseases.
Jackfruit
You should not think of jackfruit as a mere dessert fruit. Indeed, it contains many nutrients with virtue health benefits. This kind of fruit is rich in vitamin C, so it can boost the immune system against seasonal diseases.
Filled with antioxidants, such as lignans, saponins, and isoflavones, jackfruit can help slow down the rate of cell degeneration and prevent cancer formation.
Vitamin A in jackfruit has the ability to reduce the speed of eye aging and night blindness. If you have digestive problems, add jackfruit to your diet to increase fiber intake and reduce your chances of colon cancer.
Breadfruit
First, breadfruit is a starchy food that is completely gluten-free. With its versatility and richness in nutrients, this kind of starch is ideal for your daily meal.
It is high in fiber but low on fat and gluten, so you can use this fruit to replace milled starches. Breadfruit also contains a large amount of protein and many essential amino acids.
In 100 g of breadfruit, there is up to 29 mg of vitamin C to help strengthen resistance to diseases. In addition, its carotenoid compounds also promote eye health.
The antioxidant-rich breadfruit also helps negate harmful effects caused by solar UV radiation and, at the same time, encourages new cell growth.
How To Preserve Jackfruit and Breadfruit For Long-Term Storage
The simplest way to preserve when you have too many ripe jackfruits is to put them in the refrigerator. Separate the flesh from their rind and seeds and then put them in an airtight container.
But ripe jackfruit has a rather characteristic smell and can cause an unpleasant odor to your refrigerator. Therefore, you should use a container with a tight lid, zip bag, or sealed with food wrap to avoid the odor.
Jackfruit should be kept at a temperature of 10-15ºC and used up in at most 7 days. Alternatively, you can freeze or use recipes like jam or dried jackfruit to extend the shelf life.
If you’re buying breadfruit that’s nearly ripe, leave it out at room temperature for about 1-3 days to fully ripen. Because it has latex, you can use parchment paper or newspaper to wrap it and store the whole fruit in the refrigerator.
However, use it as soon as possible within about 4-6 days to avoid unpalatable and mushy breadfruit meat. Also, you can chop up the fruit and freeze it in a container.
Easy Recipes With Jackfruit And Breadfruit For Everyone
Jackfruit and breadfruit appear in countless recipes that you should try once. The six delicious dishes below help you expand your daily menu.
Jackfruit Jam
Total time: 60 minutes
Even with little cooking experience, you can make this simple dish. Jackfruit jam requires only four ingredients and is super easy to make.
Make sure your jackfruit is fully ripe, or you should use canned jackfruit instead. This healthy condiment has a naturally sweet taste and doesn’t need much sugar.
Jackfruit Curry
Total time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Jackfruit curry is a flavorful option for vegetarians. It is a representative dish of Indian cuisine. Instead of milk, this recipe recommends using coconut milk to enhance the richness of the dish. If you want this curry to have the same texture and appearance as chicken curry, unripe jackfruit is a great choice.
Sriracha Jackfruit Bowl
Total time: 40 minutes
Perhaps you have heard of familiar dishes from jackfruit like tacos, curries, or sandwiches. However, give this simple burrito recipe a try. It only takes 40 minutes for you to have a delicious dinner with the whole family. Feel free to use more sriracha sauce to spice up your meal.
Caribbean Breadfruit Puffs
Total time: 45 minutes
You should note down this easy breadfruit recipe. Pick very ripe ones as they are sweeter. The use of Bonnet pepper in this recipe brings the Caribbean flavor to your dish with its spicy, strong, and characteristic aroma.
These breadfruit puffs are much richer thanks to how all the seasonings seep into the mashed breadfruit flesh. This is definitely the perfect snack for a relaxing weekend.
Let’s check out this easy guide on how to make breadfruit balls.
Spicy Breadfruit Fries
Total time: 30 minutes
No one can deny the versatility of breadfruit. But instead of simply boiling and eating it like a sweet potato or potato, try this recipe for an amazing snack like French fries but with extra health benefits.
The texture is crispy outside, lightly seasoned with spicy powder, and soft, spongy inside. You should dip fried breadfruit slices with ketchup to balance the taste.
Ripe Breadfruit Tea Cake
Total time: 45 minutes
Breadfruit can also be used to make a sweet, dessert, or convenient breakfast dish. To increase the flavor profile of this breadfruit cake, you can add some mango juice.
More specifically, tutti frutti – an Indian fruit candy with a sweet taste and colorful appearance makes the cake more interesting.
FAQs
Below are a few small questions that many people face. You can refer to them in case to avoid being confused when having a similar situation.
Make Your Pick Between Jackfruit And Bread
Supplementing your diet with fruits will bestow a lot of benefits on your health. Both jackfruit and breadfruit can fulfill that task wonderfully.
These two fruits have many amazing characteristics. While jackfruit is sweet and feels like pulled meat, starchy breadfruit tastes the same as a potato. They will do well to enhance the flavor of your meals.
I hope that this article has conveyed all the differences between them to you. Please comment to share your experiences with these two fruits! Also, share this article to help more people know about them.
References
- NPR.org. 2022. Here’s The Scoop On Jackfruit, A Ginormous Fruit To Feed The World. National Tropical Botanical Garden. 2022. Breadfruit History – National Tropical Botanical Garden.
- National Tropical Botanical Garden. 2022. Breadfruit History – National Tropical Botanical Garden.
