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Jackfruit
कटहल (kathal)
The tree that carries the largest fruit grown on any tree in the world (up to about 35 kg) directly on its trunk and main branches rather than on twigs.
👀 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 it
Goa
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.
Sahakari Spice Farm · Arvalem Waterfall & Rudreshwar Caves
Kochi
Declared the official state fruit of Kerala in 2018. Unripe jackfruit is cooked as a vegetable, ripe jackfruit eaten fresh, the seeds boiled, and the timber used for temple doors and drums.
Kadamakkudy Islands · Areekal Waterfalls
Kolkata
Unripe jackfruit (enchor) is cooked as a vegetable in Bengali kitchens and is often called “vegetarian mutton” for its texture; the ripe fruit is eaten fresh in the hot months.
AJC Bose Indian Botanic Garden & the Great Banyan · Agri-Horticultural Society Garden · Chintamoni Kar Bird Sanctuary
Mayapur
Unripe jackfruit is cooked as a vegetable across Bengal and the south; ripe, it is eaten as fruit. The timber is used for temple drums and doors.
Bethuadahari Wildlife Sanctuary