Jackfruit as a staple food

by Dr. Himantha Atukorale

For several decades bread was our staple food item for breakfast or dinner, as cereals were for Europeans. But what did our ancestors eat before bread was introduced to the county? Rice might have been in the main list of staple food items.

Throughout these years Jackfruit or "Kos" was mainly made use of as a side dish or a curry, but evidence suggests that Jackfruit was also used as a staple food before the introduction of bread. Due to this reason Jack tree was also known as the rice tree or the "Bath Gasa" by our ancestors.

The Jack tree ( Artocarpus integrifolia) flourishes in great luxuriance mainly in the southern part of the island. It produces an extraordinary quantity of fruit from its branches.

Its trunk even from its roots. The average weight of a "Kos" fruit is around 50 pounds and each has around two to three hundred kernels. The fleshly coats as well as the seeds of Jack fruit are a delicacy amongst Sri Lankans. The wood which receives a stain of Mahogany is softer and of a coarser grain. It is valuable in the furniture industry.

By definition, a staple food is a food that form the basis of a traditional diet. Staple foods vary from place to place, but are typically inexpensive starchy foods of vegetable origin that are high in food energy (Calories) and carbohydrates and that can be stored for use throughout the year.

Although nutritious, staple foods generally do not by themselves provide a full range of nutrients, so other foods need to be added to the diet to prevent malnutrition. If Jackfruit can be preserved, it can be used as a staple food throughout the year. It yields a large harvest and both the flesh of the Jackfruit as well as the seeds are edible.

Dried and packed jackfruit is currently sold at certain food processing factories in Sri Lanka. When boiled water is added to the contents, an instant dish of Jackfruit can be prepared.

The glycaemic load is the most practical way to apply glycaemic index to dieting. This is calculated by multiplying the foods's glycaemia index percentage by the number of net carbohydrates in a given serving.

It gives a relative indication of how much that serving of food is likely to increase your blood sugar levels. As a rule of thumb most nutritional experts consider glycaemic loads below 20 as low and above 20 to be high.

Because glycaemic load is related to the food's effect on blood sugar, low glycaemic loaded meals are often recommended for diabetic control and weight loss. Jackfruit has a lower glycaemic index than white bread, and therefore is more suitable for people with impaired blood sugar levels.

Jackfruit is very low in sodium. And it is a good source of Vitamin C and Mangnesium. It has Vitamin A compared to bread and rice, and also has a higher amount of dietary fibre.

Introducing Jackfruit as a staple food is no novel concept. Arthur V. Dias was the pioneer in promoting Jackfruit in our country several decades back. He made it a habit to gift Jackfruit seeds and plants to whoever he met. Arthur V. Dias also had several sub species of Jack trees in his own garden and distributed the plants free of charge.

A unique moment in his campaign was when he made a wedding cake structure in the shape of a jackfruit for display. Arthur V Dias also brought a special seed type from Malaysia which yielded Jackfruit in eighteen months. Jack tree seeds were also sent by post to distant parts of the country with the aid of the Postal authorities during this era.

The world food program warns of a global food shortage in the near future. Sri Lanka is still relying on food imports to feed its people. Countries like India have imposed laws against exporting rice as the government has realized that the production has not fulfilled the demand for food.

We need a staple food item that is easy to grow, nutritious and yield a good harvest in a short duration. Jack fruit meets these criteria and is indeed the food of the future for Sri Lankans.