Chaka The Hero: Kerala Celebrates Jackfruit Day on July 4
Jackfruit is a family that includes figs to mulberries, and it has the record of being the largest fruit
Kerala: The significance of jackfruit is growing day by day. It even reached the Qatar World Cup in 2022, where jackfruit was exported for the event. Varghese Taragan from Thrissur exported thousands of jackfruits for the occasion.
In Malayalam, it is called chaka and the English word, jack, is derived from the Malayalam word. A book written by Galsya Da Orta in 1563 mentioned it as Jaaka, which later turned into jackfruit. Kerala has identified jackfruit as the official fruit. Every year, July 4 is celebrated as Jackfruit Day to emphasize its significance and importance both in the cuisine and economy of the state.
Jackfruit was declared Kerala state official fruit in 2018. Jackfruit forms the key ingredient in many Kerala dishes, including sweets like chakka pradhman, and savoury dishes like jackfruit chips. Jackfruit's botanical name is Artocarpus heteropyllus, and is considered the elder brother of mulberries. Jackfruit belongs to the botanical family that includes figs to mulberries, and is the largest tree-borne fruit in the world.
