That's a fruit, Jack!

Yes, yes, Here I am, getting my kicks in a supermarket in Springfield, Missouri! I admit it--I've never been in a store that sold prickly pear and jackfruit!!!

Every once in a while, residents of southeast Missouri travel outside their immediate area and stumble into new experiences and exotic food items that cause them to do a "double-take."

Recently, I went to see my sister in Springfield, Missouri, and we went to the new Hy-Vee supermarket out on Battlefield Road and Kansas Expressway. Wow! Browsing through the produce aisles was like being in a foreign country!

I felt like some backwoods hick who just climbed down off the watermelon wagon!

Of particular interest was a huge prickly brown thing that looked like an over-sized kiwi. Had it not been labeled "jack fruit $45," I would have searched out the produce man and insisted he identify the alien item.

Even so, the sign did not explain the purpose and origin of this fruit--and why it was so expensive!

Needless to say, our curiosity was not sufficient to cause us to purchase this unusual food item.

The trip to the grocery store necessitated a trip to the internet! Enter "jackfruit" and wait for an enlightening experience!

What is a jackfruit?

The jackfruit, alternately jack tree, jakfruit, or sometimes simply jack, scientific name Artocarpus heterophyllus, is a species of tree in the Artocarpus genus of the mulberry family. It is native to parts of South and Southeast Asia, and is believed to have originated in the southwestern rain forests of India, in present-day Kerala, coastal Karnataka and Maharashtra. The jackfruit tree is well suited to tropical lowlands, and its fruit is the largest tree-borne fruit, reaching as much as 80 pounds in weight and up to 36 inches long and 20 inches in diameter.

Where does it grow?

The jackfruit tree is widely cultivated in tropical regions of India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Jackfruit is also found across Africa, as well as throughout Brazil and Caribbean nations such as Jamaica.

Interestingly, the jackfruit tree is considered an invasive species in Brazil, where the fruit is eaten by marmosets (monkeys), who prey on native bird eggs.

According to several sources, the young jackfruit has a meat-like texture, not un-like chicken. The internet has dozens of recipes for this unusual product, and the seeds can be roasted or boiled for a delicious snack.

What does it taste like?

I did not cut out a piece, but according to several online sources, it tastes like a combination of pineapple, apple, mango, and banana. By the way, in my online search, I discovered that the mango is the most popular fruit in the world... I suspect that the United States did not contribute to this informal poll...

I also suspect that the jackfruit would have to exceptionally good to justify the $45.00 price tag!