Bangladesh chose jackfruit as its national fruit not because it tastes good or looks impressive. It did so because the fruit is deeply embedded in the country’s food culture, is available almost everywhere, and plays a practical role in nutrition, agriculture, and daily life.
Two Countries, One Fruit
Only two countries in the world claim jackfruit as their national fruit: Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. India, where jackfruit originates in the Western Ghats, didn’t pick it as their national fruit—though it’s the official state fruit of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Instead, India chose mango, which is also the national fruit of Pakistan and the Philippines.
By botanical birthright, India could’ve picked jackfruit. But Bangladesh made the call based on accessibility and popularity. Jackfruit is found in every corner of the country. Everyone knows it. Everyone eats it. It’s easy to grow, feeds a lot of people, and can be used in dozens of ways.
Multiple Forms, Multiple Uses
Jackfruit isn’t just one thing. It varies by region and type. Some are soft and juicy (called gola or rasa). Some are firm and fibrous (known as khaja or chawala). There’s also a middle type—ras-khaja. In places like Gazipur’s Sreepur, jackfruit is practically a culinary building block. Locals make jam, pickles, curries, sweets, even jackfruit-based syrup and jaggery.
A single fruit can weigh up to 42 kg. Inside, you’ll find 100 to 500 edible yellow pods (called koas), each wrapped around a seed. The leftover peel and core feed cattle. The sticky latex from the tree can seal leaks in household tools or boats. The wood? Strong and good for furniture. The leaves? Livestock feed.
That kind of versatility matters in a country like Bangladesh, where food security and affordability are real issues. Jackfruit plays both roles—nutritious and practical.
Nutrition, Not Nostalgia
Jackfruit’s nutritional value is often underrated. It has more protein than most fruits found in the region. The raw form, often called “poor man’s meat,” can be cooked like beef or mutton. The seeds are high in protein too—cheaper than meat, eggs, or fish. You can fry, roast, or cook them in curries.
Its natural sugars make ripe jackfruit energy-dense and filling. The pulp can be juiced, dried into sheets like mango leather, or made into sweets. Southeast Asian countries like Vietnam and Thailand are already exporting jackfruit chips. Bangladesh lags behind in that area.
Deep Cultural Roots
Jackfruit isn’t just food—it’s folklore. Ancient sayings like “Am-er bochor baan / Kathaler bochor dhan” (“A mango year brings floods / A jackfruit year brings rice”) hint at its perceived impact on agriculture. Literature, religious rituals, seasonal festivals—jackfruit is present across them all.
Its structure also sparks curiosity. The jackfruit is a compound fruit—what you think of as one fruit is actually hundreds, maybe thousands, of small flowers that fused into one body. Each yellow koa comes from a separate female flower. Some of them don’t mature fully and remain seedless. The spiky surface reflects the number of those flowers, but only a portion turn into edible pulp.
Pollination is tricky. If the female flowers don’t receive male pollen, they stay empty. The tree produces both types of flowers on separate inflorescences (called “muchi”), which bloom directly from the trunk or large branches during spring.
Growing the Tree
The tree itself is medium-sized, evergreen, and scientifically named Artocarpus heterophyllus. It belongs to the Moraceae family, the same as figs and mulberries. Farmers usually propagate jackfruit through seeds. But grafting and other vegetative methods are gaining traction because they shorten the time to fruit production. Seed-grown trees take 7–8 years to bear fruit. Grafted trees take less.
Jackfruit trees tolerate heat, humidity, and poor soil. They don’t need much water once mature, which makes them well-suited to rural farming in Bangladesh.
A People’s Fruit
In English, it’s called “jackfruit.” Etymologists trace this name back to the Portuguese “jaca,” borrowed from Malayalam “chakka.” But the word itself has taken on new meaning. Some historians believe the name reflects how the British saw it—a common fruit for common people. A “jack-of-all-trades” fruit.
And that fits. Jackfruit isn’t flashy like durian or globally famous like avocado. But in Bangladesh, it delivers on taste, function, affordability, and cultural identity.
It’s not just a national fruit. It’s a national tool.
