In Australia Jackfruit Fruit Becomes More Popular Substitute Meat

Since Allie Pyke added jackfruit to his vegan food menu, he and his staff have to convince restaurant customers that what they eat is not meat at all.

Jackfruit, a tropical fruit with the world's largest fruit tree, is the main ingredient of a Hawaiian burger served at Allie's restaurant, The Alley in Melbourne.

Just like in a number of cafes and restaurants in Australia, The Alley jackfruit is made in such a way to look and taste like pork.

"There was a woman who came a few days ago who ate it with greed," Allie said.

"While eating his Hawaiian burger, he came to the cashier and said, 'Looks like there's meat in my burger, and I'm vegan'."

"The cashier must then convince him that there is no meat in his burger, the woman is stunned because the burger is vegan."

Fruit with a meat texture
Allie says it's not the jackfruit taste that makes people cheated, but the texture.

"I think most of what we eat is about sauce and flavor," she says.

"When we sauté the jackfruit with some tomatoes, then make a barbecue sauce, plus onions, it will create a smoky flavor with a meat-like texture that makes plant-based delicacies."

It tastes like chewing gum
Alison Salleras and her husband, Peter, have planted fig trees in his garden, Fruit Forest Farm, north of Tully, Queensland. They have already delivered their products to markets in Sydney and Melbourne for 15 years.

Alison says unlike raw jackfruit, a ripe jackfruit has a distinctive flavor image.

"It tastes like Juicy Fruit [Juicy] gum," he said.

"We were told by the visitors who came to our farm and that he once worked for Wrigleys, the chewing gum company," said the real taste of Juicy Fruit chewing gum comes from jackfruit, whether it's true or not, I do not know. "

He was not surprised when green jackfruit became a meat alternative.

"I make a curry from a green jackfruit, more like chicken than pork, but if we do it, I can imagine it like pork," he said.

"With the curry I made, we peeled the jackfruit skin and used the whole meat, it tasted like chicken."

During the jackfruit harvest season from November to March, the Salleras family sends 300 to 500 kilograms of fresh jackfruit in a week to markets in the southern states of Australia.

Jackfruit market is limited but growing
Australian jackfruit production is concentrated around Darwin and Queensland with a tropical climate.

According to AgriFutures Australia research agency, in 2011-2012 jackfruit production reached about 742 tons with an estimated value of about A $ 2.6 million, or Rp 26 billion, with demand for jackfruit that continues to increase.

Meanwhile, a Northern Territory research project is working to improve the yields of local farmers.

Alison says the market for jackfruit is still very limited and relatively small. Most customers who buy jackfruit in the retail market are Asian consumers, who traditionally eat fresh jackfruit in a variety of sweet and savory dishes.

But perhaps this situation is beginning to change, with the wider consumer as the jackfruit grew to be found in the restaurant menus.

Photo: Charlie McKillop

Because of its popularity, jackfruit is found in hipster cafes and vegan restaurants. When Alison first enters jackfruit into his menu, he is told his supplier if jackfruit is rare as his popularity increases.

Australia takes the jackfruit trend from the US
Like most food trends in Australia, the popularity of jackfruit comes from abroad.

Last year, the Wall Street Journal identified jackfruit as a meat alternative in its food trends.

Alison explains the meat-substitute trends like jackfruit, as well as vegetable-based eating trends will persist, showing concern for health and the environment will continue to encourage consumers to look for alternative products.

"Vegetable-based foods used to be consumed by yogis [yoga people] and those living in the commune, I think the current trend is that plant-based foods become healthy foods for people," he said.

When his cafe tried to make a fast food serving in a healthy version, Alison predicted the jackfruit would appear in the menus in different forms.

"I think The Alley will serve the fried jackfruit in the future."