Jackfruit1 Is Everywhere Now—But What Exactly Is It? 菠萝蜜到处都有——但它究竟是什么？

Giselle Castro 景一

If you dont know about jackfruit， its time to learn everything you ever wanted to know.

如果你不了解菠萝蜜，现在是时候了解你想知道的一切了。

Take a walk down the produce aisle and you may spot a light green， oval-shaped， nubby2 fruit. While every fruit is distinctive， this one in particular is hard to ignore. The jackfruit， which is native to southeast Asia as well as parts of India， Jamaica， and South America， is fast becoming a popular meat substitute3 in vegan4 diets. From pulled “pork” sandwiches to desserts， jackfruit has proven to be a versatile5 plant that both meat-eaters and non-meat eaters alike can appreciate.

沿著农产品通道走一走，你可能会看到一种浅绿色的、椭圆形的、满是瘤的水果。虽然每一种水果都很有特色，但这一种尤其难以忽视。菠萝蜜原产于东南亚以及印度、牙买加和南美的部分地区，正迅速成为素食中流行的肉类替代品。从手撕“猪肉”三明治到甜点，菠萝蜜已被证明是一种肉食者和素食者都能享用的多用途植物。

Jackfruit doesnt have an overwhelmingly strong taste. Its been described as “sweet” or “neutral6”. Since it has a meaty texture when cooked， it makes for an ideal swap7 for certain meat-based recipes. The texture is comparable to shredded meat， pulled pork in particular， which is why pulled “pork” sandwiches are one of the most popular jackfruit recipes.

菠萝蜜的味道不怎么强烈，它的味道可以描述为“甜”或“中性”。因为在烹饪时有肉的质地，所以它是某些肉类食谱的理想替代品。它的质地可以与肉丝相媲美，尤其是手撕猪肉，这就是为什么手撕“猪肉”三明治是最受欢迎的菠萝蜜食谱之一。

But， while its use as a substitute for pulled pork or taco meat is its most popular， dont let that limit how you eat it. Jackfruit tends to soak up whatever flavoring is added to it， so go ahead and try out all sorts of different flavors.

虽然它是最受欢迎的手撕猪肉或墨西哥玉米卷肉的替代品，但不要让这限制了食用它的方式。菠萝蜜往往会吸收任何添加到其中的调味品，所以你可以继续尝试各种不同的口味。

Unlike some fruits， jackfruits are entirely edible. The seeds can be boiled， roasted， or ground into flour， depending on the dish youre making. The flesh， which looks like orange-yellow color bulbs， is what makes this fruit so versatile. It can be made into ice-cream， chips， jam， soup， candy， and more. You can slice it into a fruit salad or use it in a jam， jelly， or chutney.

与某些水果不同，菠萝蜜可以完全食用。它的种子可以煮、烤或磨成粉，这取决于你要做的菜。它的果肉看起来像橙黄色的球茎，这正是这种水果用途如此广泛的原因。它可以做成冰淇淋、薯条、果酱、汤、糖果等等，你可以把它切成水果沙拉，或者用它做果酱、果冻或酸辣酱。

Jackfruits pack in a lot of nutrition. Theyre high in protein （with 2.8 grams per cup of sliced fruit）， plus calcium， magnesium， vitamin A and potassium. Theyre also rich in energy and dietary fiber and free from saturated fats or cholesterol. In some regions， jackfruits have even been used to treat conditions such as hypertension， diabetes， diarrhea， tuberculosis， fever， and liver cirrhosis.

菠萝蜜富含营养。它们富含蛋白质（每杯切片含2.8克），另外还含有钙、镁、维生素A和钾。它们也富含能量和膳食纤维，不含饱和脂肪或胆固醇。在有些地区，菠萝蜜甚至被用来治疗高血压、糖尿病、腹泻、肺结核、发烧和肝硬化等疾病。

Its meaty texture and health content make it seem like a surefire replacement for meat. But， while its texture can mimic meat， nutritionists do advise against substituting it for meat entirely. When compared to other fruit， jackfruit is higher in protein; however， when compared to meat， it is low in protein. It unfortunately lacks some of the amino acids present in meat. If youre vegan， you know that it can be a challenge to get adequate8 protein. Consider eating jackfruits in conjunction with these other great sources of plant-based protein to meet your daily quota9 for good health.

肉类的质地和健康的成分，让它看起来像是一种可靠的肉类替代品。但是，尽管它的质地可以模仿肉类，营养学家还是建议不要用它来完全代替肉类。与其他水果相比，菠萝蜜的蛋白质含量更高;但是，与肉相比，菠萝蜜的蛋白质含量更低。可惜的是，它缺少肉类中的某些氨基酸。如果你吃素，你要知道获得足够的蛋白质是一个挑战。可以考虑将菠萝蜜和其他富含植物性蛋白质的食物一起食用，以满足每日的健康需求。

Jackfruit used to be pretty rare in Western grocery stores， but as it has gained popularity and demand has grown， more and more grocery stores are stocking it. The best places to find jackfruit would be Asian specialty markets.

过去菠萝蜜在西方的副食商店里很少見，但随着它越来越受欢迎和需求的增长，越来越多的副食店开始储备它。找菠萝蜜最好是去亚洲特色市场。

While shopping， you may see two seemingly different types of jackfruit， but its the same fruit—only one is mature and the other is young. The young jackfruit is sweet and crunchy， and the older version is usually softer and tastes less sweet. You may also find young jackfruit is sold in cans. Its suggested that you opt for the younger version if you plan on cooking savory meals. Young jackfruit in a can is much easier to work with. However， sometimes it is canned in brine10 or syrup11， so make sure you buy a product that is correct for the dish you want to make—and in line with a healthy diet. Unfortunately， sweet syrup can seriously counteract12 the nutrition content of fruit.

购物时，你可能会看到两种看起来不同的菠萝蜜，但它们是同一种水果，一种是成熟的，另一种是未成熟的。未成熟的菠萝蜜又甜又脆，成熟的菠萝蜜通常比较软，吃起来也不甜。你也许还会发现有罐装的未成熟的菠萝蜜售卖。如果你打算做美味饭菜的话，建议选择未成熟的菠萝蜜，罐装的未成熟的菠萝蜜更容易加工。然而，有时候它是罐装在盐水或糖浆里的，所以要确定你买的产品适合做你想要做的菜，并且符合健康饮食的要求。可惜的是，甜糖浆会严重抵消水果的营养成分。