What does this look like to you?  Chicken?  Pork?  Fish?  It is actually a plant called jackfruit and, according to my research, it is in the species of the fig, mulberry and breadfruit family.  I don’t even know what breadfruit is.  I did not know what jackfruit was either; I just tried it.  In my pursuit of trying to go vegan, I have read this was a good meat substitute.  It is native to parts of South Asia and can grow up to four feet in length!  The flesh is a good source of dietary fiber and it sort of tastes like a combination of pineapple, mango and apple.  It is commonly mixed with curries as you see here.  I discovered the seeds are edible as well and are said to have a taste comparable to Brazil nuts.  Unripe jackfruit has a meat-like taste and texture.  I learned in West Bengal it is especially sought after by vegetarians and has the nickname “tree-mutton.”  I have always been highly sensitive about the slaughter of animals which is why I have been a vegetarian for years.  While some might find this gross, I wanted to try it in my pursuit to find meatless substitutes that do not have soy.  My little one ate it and thought it was a “sort of weird” kind of meat.  The hubs was even great enough to try it saying he suspected it was some type of “sour vegetable.”  The American philosopher John Rawls said:

“Certainly it is wrong to be cruel to animals and the destruction of a whole species can be a great evil.  The capacity for feelings of pleasure and pain and for the form of life of which animals are capable clearly impose duties of compassion and humanity in their case.”

And so, in the name of compassion and humanity, expanding my search for good-tasting, critter free cuisine continues.  Now that I know about factory farms I know I cannot ever go back.  I was unaware of it then, but now I realize I did not know jack.