Goan-Vegan Innovation of the Jackfruit

“It looks like meat, cooks like meat and tastes like meat- but it’s not meat.”

Sairaj Dhond

Being a non-vegetarian, I can never think of meat substitutes. The Goan in me loves a good fish platter while the child in me who spent her childhood in Kochi, Kerala and Port Blair, Andamans finds her mouth watering at the sight of sizzling steaks and spicy mutton curry served with malabar paratha. But what if I am served something that tastes and looks similar to non vegetarian food, Iwonder if I would care to give it a try. Surprisingly, I DID and I am glad that I did!

From being called ‘a spectacularly ugly, smelly, unfarmed, unharvested pest-plant’ by The Guardian (which was not well received by the Indians due to the lack of research by the ‘white’ writer) to being awarded as the top food trend of the year by Pinterest, the enormous wild and spiky dark green fruit known as Jackfruit (Scientific name : Artocarous heterophyyllus) also known as Kathal has gained a lot of attention during the past few years.

Native to the Western Ghats of India, and now recognised as the official fruit of Kerala since 2018, Jackfruit now basks in the limelight for being an affordable and easily accessible substitute for meat. It has become a Vegan sensation on the menu after Sairaj Dhond, a Goa based entrepreneur founded a food startup Wakao Foods during the lockdown.

Image Source: The Better India

The idea behind his start up was to explore a sustainable way of consuming a particular food item and the fact that “eating healthy does not have to compromise on taste” . Once Sairaj realised the versatility of the Jackfruit in terms of consumption and the numerous health benefits that it has to offer, he took it to the next level of making it the perfect and inclusive food choice for a healthy lifestyle.

According to Sairaj, it was the meat-like texture that acted like a cherry on the cake. Producing ready-to-cook (Jack Burger Patty, Raw Jack) and ready-to-eat (Teriyaki Jack, BBQ Jack, Butter Jack) products, the journey till now has been challenging yet satisfying and overall worth it. With companies showing interests, he states that from eight to ten months from now, they shall reach 25 cities in India. Fingers crossed he aspires for the products to reach international markets and hopes to dismiss the stereotype of people that a plant-based lifestyle could be uninteresting and expensive.