The jackfruit (Malay: nangka; taxonomic name: Artocarpus heterophyllus Linn.) is a species of tree – and its fruit – that is widely grown in Southeast-Asia. The jackfruit is in the Family Moraceae and thought to be native to India.
The jackfruit bears fruit three years after planting and the fruit is the largest edible fruit in commerce. It is a sweet fruit that can be bought in the U.S. and Europe in shops that sell exotic products. The fruit is usually sold canned, and sweet chips are also produced from it. The jackfruit or nangka fruit is used in Southeast Asian cuisine, in Vietnamese and Indonesian dishes.
The wood of the jackfruit tree is sometimes used for the production of musical instruments that are part of the gamelan.