You've Been Preparing Jackfruit All Wrong

First, let's get one thing straight — if you've been preparing jackfruit at all, we're impressed! After all, opening this massive fruit isn't quite as easy as peeling a banana. According to Britannica, jackfruits are the largest tree-borne fruits in the entire world and can grow up to a whopping 40 pounds. So, high-five if you even managed to make it into your kitchen with one of these behemoths!

Of course, you're more likely to pick up a jackfruit from your local market that's a little more manageable in size. Once you've got your specimen home, it's time to unlock its sweet treasure. Healthline recommends cutting the jackfruit in half and using a knife or your hands to remove the fruit pods. Food NDTV recommends repetitively oiling your knife and hands to avoid the fruit sticking to either, while Healthline suggests putting on a pair of gloves to avoid a sticky mess. Sound like too much of a struggle? Don't worry, jackfruit is readily available in cans or pouches at many supermarkets and even online.

Jackfruit is quite versatile, so once you go through all the effort of getting the good stuff out, you'll have a lot of options. It can be consumed raw or cooked, according to Healthline. The seeds are even edible, and can be roasted, boiled, or used to make hummus, like in this recipe from Sweet Simple Vegan. Jackfruit is especially endearing to vegetarians and vegans because it can be used as a meat alternative in everything from crab cakes to butter chicken to tacos (via SELF).

There are also plenty of sweet dishes that can be made with jackfruit. Tasting Table describes the fruit's flavor as being similar to Juicy Fruit gum and provides a recipe for a Jackfruit Upside-Down Cake that is drizzled with toffee sauce and served with a scoop of butter pecan ice cream. Of course, if that isn't your favorite flavor of ice cream, we won't tell if you swap it out for cookies and cream.