Jackfruit Is Way More Than a Meat Alternative

With a growing need for vegan and vegetarian recipes, creative cooks and food companies have come up with some pretty clever plant-based meat replacements. While this is fantastic for eaters of all stripes, there’s a catch: When large communities or cultures are introduced to an ingredient for the first time as a “vegan meat replacement” there is a noticeable divide in opinion formed about the hapless fruit or vegetable. Suddenly, meat enthusiasts are claiming that it tastes nothing like meat, and plant devotees are steadfast that the texture is just like chicken when, really, the poor plant is just trying to be itself! Tofu has endured this abuse for years, and now I’m afraid jackfruit is being scrutinized in kind. Jackfruit is complex, versatile, delicious, and so much more than a divisive meat replacement.