Jackfruit seed
Artocarpus heterophyllus · Seed
Top 10 pairings
The jackfruit seed is the large, starchy kernel buried inside the bulbs of the jackfruit, Artocarpus heterophyllus — the biggest tree-borne fruit in the world. Often thrown away with the rind in the West, the seed is a prized food across South and Southeast Asia: boiled or roasted it turns soft and mealy with a mild, nutty, chestnut-like flavour that sits between a potato and a boiled chestnut.
Picking a good onedrag
Plump, hard, cleanly starchyShrivelled, sour, or furred
Shop firmEveryday bestInto curry, sambar, dal or a stir-fry, or sliced thin and fried to crisps. A firm seed boils floury and takes spice the way a potato does.
Squeeze oneFirm, the brown skin just beginning to crease
The two coatsSheath rubbed off, the brown skin clean and taut
Rinse one and smell itAlmost nothing — neutral, a little earthy
Fresh, dried or milledSun-dried seeds, bone-hard, sealed and dated