0 WHAT IS THE LARGEST EDIBLE TREE-FRUIT IN THE WORLD?

The largest edible tree-fruit in the world is.....

The Jackfruit!!

hmmm... I remember eating this fruit once... somewhere... hmmm - oh yeah!, I remember now, in Jamaica!  It's been over 20 years though so I can barely remember what it tasted like.

Illustration of the size of jackfruit.
The leaves of the Black Pepper vine
 on the tree also can be seen

The jackfruit is native to parts of Southern and Southeast Asia. It is the national fruit of Bangladesh, (locally called Kathal). The jackfruit tree is believed to be indigenous to the southwestern rain forests of India. It is widely cultivated in the tropical regions of Indian subcontinent, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia. Jackfruit is also found in East Africa e.g. in Uganda and Mauritius, as well as throughout Brazil and Carribean nations like Jamaica. It is well suited to tropical lowlands, and its fruit is the largest tree-born fruit, reaching 80 pounds (36 kg) in weight and up to 36 inches (90 cm) long and 20 inches (50 cm) in diameter.

Holy crap, now THAT's HUGE!

The flesh of the jackfruit is starchy, fibrous and is a source of dietary fiber. The flavour is similar to a tart banana.

Outside of its countries of origin, fresh jackfruit can be found at Asian food markets, especially in the Philippines. It is also extensively cultivated in the Brazilian coastal region, where it is sold in local markets. It is available canned in sugar syrup, or frozen. Dried jackfruit chips are produced by various manufacturers. In northern Australia, particularly in Darwin, Australia, jackfruit can be found at outdoor produce markets during the dry season. Outside of countries where it is grown, jackfruit can be obtained year-round both canned or dried. It has a ripening season in Asia of late Spring to late Summer.


Resource(s):
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackfruit
about.com