Jack fruits are generally reaches 80 pounds in weight and up to 36 inches long and 20 inches in diameter. The exterior of the fruit is colored green and change to yellow-brown when ripe. The interior consists of large edible bulbs of yellow, banana-flavored flesh that encloses a smooth, oval, light-brown seed. The seed is white and crisp within. There are about 100 or up to 500 seeds in a single fruit.When the single small leaf above the stem withers and the first color change occurs, it shows the fruit is mature and ready to harvest. When fully ripe, the unopened jack fruit emits a strong odor, and the pulp of the opened fruit smells of pineapple and banana.
The fresh ripe fruit can be eaten raw. The sweet yellow sheaths around the seeds have a taste similar to that of pineapple, but milder juicy.
The seeds can be eaten after boiled or roasted, or boiled and preserved in syrup like chestnuts. The seed are also included in curried dishes. The roasted, dried seeds are ground to make a flour which is blended with wheat flour for baking. The bulbs are boiled in milk, drained off and then cooled will congeal and form a pleasant, orange colored custard. The ripe bulbs can be dried, fried in oil and salted are called as jack fruit chips.
[image: the sweet edible flesh of the jackfruit]
