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Jackfruit in Goa: two kinds of flesh, one tree
Artocarpus heterophyllus
Goans sort jackfruit into two kinds by the flesh: firm kaapo, eaten ripe, and soft, pulpy rassal, used in sweets or cooked as a vegetable while still unripe. The trees fruit from about April to August, carrying the heavy, knobbly fruit straight off the trunk. The guide marks jackfruit as common at Sahakari Spice Farm in Ponda and around the Arvalem waterfall near Sanquelim.
Goans sort jackfruit into two kinds by the flesh: firm kaapo, eaten ripe, and soft, pulpy rassal, used in sweets or cooked as a vegetable while still unripe.
Where to see it
Sahakari Spice Farm
Arvalem Waterfall & Rudreshwar Caves
👀 How to recognise it
Look at the trunk. Heavy green fruit covered in blunt spines hang straight off the bark, which is what makes the tree unmistakable even out of season.
Where to see the trees
A jackfruit tree is easy to recognise once you look at the trunk rather than the crown. Heavy green fruit covered in blunt knobs hang straight from the bark and the thick branches, not from twigs; the flower clusters, too, grow from the trunk and large branches. The bark and leaves ooze a sticky, milky sap.
- Sahakari Spice Farm, Ponda: a 50-acre spice farm where guides walk you through the plantation and explain each plant; jackfruit is common here.
- Arvalem Waterfall and Rudreshwar Caves: about 30 km inland from Panjim near Sanquelim, where a river drops some fifty metres into a pool and rock-cut caves of the 5th–6th century stand a short walk away. Jackfruit trees are common around them.
The tree is native to India and may have originated in the Western Ghats, the hills along Goa's eastern edge.
When it fruits
In Goa the trees fruit from about April to August, and the fruit takes three to eight months to mature after flowering. That puts the ripe season across the hot weeks and into the monsoon, when Goa's beaches are closed for swimming. In a 2017 Scroll.in report, organisers of a village jackfruit festival in Goa described the fruit as ripening in the early monsoon.
Kaapo, rassal and the Goan kitchen
The kaapo and rassal split decides what happens to a fruit. Kaapo, with firmer flesh, is eaten ripe. Rassal, soft and pulpy, goes into sweets, or is picked tender and cooked as a vegetable. Goan Hindu cooking has many recipes for the unripe fruit; one well-loved dish is chaako, tender jackfruit cooked dry with grated coconut. The best-known Goan jackfruit preparation is sandon, steamed rice cakes with a jackfruit filling. The seeds are boiled or roasted, and the timber goes into tables, doors and windows.
The tree has even had its own celebration: in 2017 Scroll.in described Ponsachem fest, a volunteer-run village festival in Goa where the fruit was eaten and drunk in many forms. If you buy a whole fruit, oil your hands and knife before cutting, as the latex is very sticky, and eat it within a few days of opening.
More on jackfruit and Goa's plants
The species, from its size records to its names across India, is on the jackfruit page. Goa's other plants, including the cashew that becomes feni, are on trees and flowers of Goa, and Goan food on what to eat in Goa.
❓ FAQ
In which months is jackfruit available in Goa?
The trees fruit from about April to August, through the hot weeks and into the monsoon.
What are kaapo and rassal?
The two Goan kinds of jackfruit. Kaapo has firm flesh and is eaten ripe; rassal is soft and pulpy and is used in sweets or cooked as a vegetable while unripe.
Where can I see jackfruit trees in Goa?
At Sahakari Spice Farm in Ponda and around the Arvalem waterfall near Sanquelim, where the guide marks them as common.
What Goan dishes are made with jackfruit?
Sandon, steamed rice cakes with a jackfruit filling, is the best known; chaako is tender jackfruit cooked dry with grated coconut.
What is jackfruit called in Konkani?
Ponos, according to a 2017 Scroll.in report on Goa's jackfruit festival. In Hindi it is kathal.