CAUTION: "Raw jackfruit seeds are indigestible due to the presence of a powerful trypsin inhibitor. This element is destroyed by boiling or baking." - Julia Morton. The sticky latex within fruits, stems, etc. easily sticks to the hands. I like to coat my hands with olive oil before digging in to a freshly cut jackfruit to remove the arils and seeds. 

"The flavor of the ripe fruit is comparable to a combination of apple, pineapple, mango, and banana." (4)
Are used to make... Cakes.
Custards.
Freeze-dried -"and sold as jackfruit chips." (1)
Fruit leather. "Jackfruit may be ground and made into a paste, then spread over a mat and allowed to dry in the sun to create a natural chewy candy." (1)
Desserts. (5)
Dosa ingredient.
Dried fruit - "The fresh bulbs are excellent dried." (5)
Frozen - "The jackfruit bulbs freeze well and they may be used at a later time like fresh fruit." (5)
Fruit salads. (5)
Ice cream. (5)
Idli ingredient.
Main dish ingredient. (5)
Preserved - "In India it is preserved by boiling with sugar syrup, butter and coconut milk." (5)
Shave ice ingredient.
Smoothies.
Soup ingredient. (5)
INDIA: "For the traditional breakfast dish in southern India, idlis, the fruit is used with rice as an ingredient and jackfruit leaves are used as a wrapping for steaming." (1) "Jackfruit dosas can be prepared by grinding jackfruit flesh along with the batter. Ripe jackfruit arils are sometimes seeded, fried." (1)
INDONESIA: As "es teler" ("a fruit cocktail from Indonesia with avocado, coconut meat, cincau ("grass jelly" made from a plant in the mint family, Platostoma palustre ), jackfruit sweetened condensed milk, (Pandan) Pandanus amaryllifolius leaf (normally in the form of cocopandan syrup, sugar, and a tiny amount of salt." (1)
PHILIPPINES: Added to "halo-halo: " a popular Filipino cold dessert which is a concoction of crushed ice, evaporated milk  and various ingredients including, among others, ube (purple yam) , sweetened beans, coconut julienes, sago, gulaman (seaweed gealtin),  pinipig rice, boiled root crops in cubes, fruit slices, flan, and topped with a scoop of ice cream." (1)
SRI LANKA: Jackfruit curry. 
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Out-of-hand, after proper cooking (In Bangladesh, etc.) (1) 
Baked. 
Boiled. 
Curry ingredient. 
Dessert ingredient. 
Roasted. "When roasted, the flavor of the seeds is comparable to chestnuts." (41) 
The flavor has been compared to Brazil Nuts... I agree that they taste very good. "They may be boiled, baked, or roasted. When roasted, the flavor of the seeds is comparable to chestnuts. Seeds are used as snacks (either by boiling or fire-roasting) or to make desserts." (4) "After roasting, the seeds may be used as a commercial alternative to chocolate aroma." (4) 

JAVA: "In Java, the seeds are commonly cooked and seasoned with salt as a snack." (4) 
INDIA: "They are quite commonly used in curry in India in the form of a traditional lentil and vegetable mix curry." (4) 
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The timber is known as Jackwood. (4) Europe imports the timber. (4)
Julia Morton signs the praises of this wood, she writes, "It changes with age from orange or yellow to brown or dark-red; is termite proof, fairly resistant to fungal and bacterial decay, seasons without difficulty, resembles mahogany and is superior to teak for furniture, construction, turnery, masts, oars, implements, brush backs and musical instruments. Palaces were built of jackwood in Bali and Macassar, and the limited supply was once reserved for temples in Indochina." (4) "Its strength is 75 to 80% that of teak. Though sharp tools are needed to achieve a smooth surface, it polishes beautifully. Roots of old trees are greatly prized for carving and picture framing." (4)
INDIA: Used as timber in India. (5)
SRI LANKA: "An important timber in Ceylon." (4) 
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"Dried branches are employed to produce fire by friction in religious ceremonies in Malabar." (4)  
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"From the sawdust of jackwood or chips of the heartwood, boiled with alum, there is derived a rich yellow dye commonly used for dyeing silk and the cotton robes of Buddhist priests." (4) 
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"In Indonesia, splinters of the wood are put into the bamboo tubes collecting coconut toddy in order to impart a yellow tone to the sugar." (4) 
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"In some areas, the jackfruit is fed to cattle. The tree is even planted in pastures so that the animals can avail themselves of the fallen fruits. Surplus jackfruit rind is considered a good stock food." (4) 
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CULINARY USES:
In Indochina, the two varieties are the "hard" version (crunchier, drier, and less sweet, but fleshier), and the "soft" version (softer, moister, and much sweeter, with a darker gold-color flesh than the hard variety). Unripe jackfruit has a mild flavor and meat-like texture and is used in curry dishes with spices in many cuisines. The skin of unripe jackfruit must be peeled first, then the remaining jackfruit flesh is chopped in a labor-intensive process[31] into edible portions and cooked before serving.

The cuisines of many Asian countries use cooked young jackfruit.[15] In many cultures, jackfruit is boiled and used in curries as a staple food. The boiled young jackfruit is used in salads or as a vegetable in spicy curries and side dishes, and as fillings for cutlets and chops. It may be used by vegetarians as a substitute for meat such as pulled pork. It may be cooked with coconut milk and eaten alone or with meat, shrimp or smoked pork. In southern India, unripe jackfruit slices are deep-fried to make chips.
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SOUTH ASIA:
The unripe fruit is used in curry, and the seed is often dried and preserved to be later used in curry. [32] In India, two varieties of jackfruit predominate: muttomvarikka and sindoor. Muttomvarikka has a slightly hard inner flesh when ripe, while the inner flesh of the ripe sindoor fruit is soft. [33]
A sweet preparation called chakkavaratii (jackfruit jam) is made by seasoning pieces of muttomvarikka fruit flesh in jaggery, which can be preserved and used for many months. The fruits are either eaten alone or as a side to rice. The juice is extracted and either drunk straight or as a side. The juice is sometimes condensed and eaten as candies. The seeds are either boiled or roasted and eaten with salt and hot chilies. They are also used to make spicy side dishes with rice. 

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SOUTHEAST ASIA:
In Indonesia and Malaysia, jackfruit is called nangka. The ripe fruit is usually sold separately and consumed on its own, or sliced and mixed with shaved ice as a sweet concoction dessert such as es campur and es teler.  The ripe fruit might be dried and fried as kripik nangka, or jackfruit cracker. The seeds are boiled and consumed with salt, as they contains edible starchy content; this is called beton. Young (unripe) jackfruit is made into curry called gulai nangka  or stewed called gudeg.
In the Philippines, jackfruit is called langka in Filipino and nangkà [34] in Cebuano. The unripe fruit is usually cooked in coconut milk and eaten with rice; this is called ginataang langka. [35]  The ripe fruit is often an ingredient in local desserts such as halo-halo and the Filipino turon. The ripe fruit, besides also being eaten raw as it is, is also preserved by storing in syrup or by drying. The seeds are also boiled before being eaten.
Thailand is a major producer of jackfruit, which are often cut, prepared, and canned in a sugary syrup (or frozen in bags or boxes without syrup) and exported overseas, frequently to North America and Europe.
In Vietnam, jackfruit is used to make jackfruit che, a sweet dessert soup, similar to the Chinese derivative bubur cha cha. The Vietnamese also use jackfruit purée as part of pastry fillings or as a topping on xoi ngọt (a sweet version of sticky rice portions).
Jackfruits are found primarily in the eastern part of Taiwan. The fresh fruit can be eaten directly or preserved as dried fruit, candied fruit, or jam. It is also stir-fried or stewed with other vegetables and meat.
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AMERICAS:
In Brazil, three varieties are recognized: jaca-dura, or the "hard" variety, which has a firm flesh, and the largest fruits that can weigh between 15 and 40 kg each; jaca-mole, or the "soft" variety, which bears smaller fruits with a softer and sweeter flesh; and jaca-manteiga, or the "butter" variety, which bears sweet fruits whose flesh has a consistency intermediate between the "hard" and "soft" varieties. [36] 

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AFRICA: 
From a tree planted for its shade in gardens, it became an ingredient for local recipes using different fruit segments. The seeds are boiled in water or roasted to remove toxic substances, and then roasted for a variety of desserts. The flesh of the unripe jackfruit is used to make a savory salty dish with smoked pork. The jackfruit arils are used to make jams or fruits in syrup, and can also be eaten raw.

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WOOD: 
The golden yellow timber with good grain is used for building furniture and house construction in India. It is termite-proof and is superior to teak for building furniture. The wood of the jackfruit tree is important in Sri Lanka and is exported to Europe. Jackfruit wood is widely used in the manufacture of furniture, doors and windows, in roof construction. [10] and fish sauce barrels. [37] 

The wood of the tree is used for the production of musical instruments. In Indonesia, hardwood from the trunk is carved out to form the barrels of drums used in the gamelan, and in the Philippines, its soft wood is made into the body of the kutiyapi, a type of boat lute. It is also used to make the body of the Indian string instrument veena and the drums mridangam, thimila, and kanjira.  
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CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE: 
The jackfruit has played a significant role in Indian agriculture for centuries. 
It has also been widely cultivated in Southeast Asia.

The ornate wooden plank called avani palaka, made of the wood of the jackfruit tree, is used as the priest's seat during Hindu ceremonies in Kerala. In Vietnam, jackfruit wood is prized for the making of Buddhist statues in temple. [39] The heartwood is used by Buddhist forest monastics in Southeast Asia as a dye, giving the robes of the monks in those traditions their distinctive light-brown color. [40] 

Jackfruit is the national fruit of Bangladesh, [32] and the state fruit of the Indian states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. [41] [ 42]  

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CULTIVATION:
In terms of taking care of the plant, minimal pruning is required; cutting off dead branches from the interior of the tree is only sometimes needed. [10] In addition, twigs bearing fruit must be twisted or cut down to the trunk to induce growth for the next season.[10] Branches should be pruned every three to four years to maintain productivity. [10]  

Some trees carry too many mediocre fruits and these are usually removed to allow the others to develop better to maturity.

Stingless bees such as Tetragonula iripennis (ANDY'S NOTE: Not much info on Google about this species, just one referencece that states that this is a tiny honey bee species. It probably does not occurr in Florida) are jackfruit pollinators, so play an important role in jackfruit cultivation. [43] 
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Westerners generally will find the jackfruit most acceptable in the full-grown but unripe stage, when it has no objectionable odor and excels cooked green breadfruit and plantain. The fruit at this time is simply cut into large chunks for cooking, the only handicap being its copious gummy latex which accumulates on the knife and the hands unless they are first rubbed with salad oil. The chunks are boiled in lightly salted water until tender, when the really delicious flesh is cut from the rind and served as a vegetable, including the seeds which, if thoroughly cooked, are mealy and agreeable. The latex clinging to the pot may be removed by rubbing with oil. The flesh of the unripe fruit has been experimentally canned in brine or with curry. It may also be dried and kept in tins for a year. Cross sections of dried, unripe jackfruit are sold in native markets in Thailand. Tender young fruits may be pickled with or without spices.

If the jackfruit is allowed to ripen, the bulbs and seeds may be extracted outdoors; or, if indoors, the odorous residue should be removed from the kitchen at once. The bulbs may then be enjoyed raw or cooked (with coconut milk or otherwise); or made into ice cream, chutney, jam, jelly, paste, "leather" or papad, or canned in sirup made with sugar or honey with citric acid added. The crisp types of jackfruit are preferred for canning. The canned product is more attractive than the fresh pulp and is sometimes called "vegetable meat". The ripe bulbs are mechanically pulped to make jackfruit nectar or reduced to concentrate or powder. The addition of synthetic flavoring—ethyl and n-butyl esters of 4-hydroxybutyric acid at 120 ppm and 100 ppm, respectively greatly improves the flavor of the canned fruit and the nectar.

If the bulbs are boiled in milk, the latter when drained off and cooled will congeal and form a pleasant, orange colored custard. By a method patented in India, the ripe bulbs may be dried, fried in oil and salted for eating like potato chips. Candied jackfruit pulp in boxes was being marketed in Brazil in 1917. Improved methods of preserving and candying jackfruit pulp have been devised at the Central Food Technological Research Institute, Mysore, India. Ripe bulbs, sliced and packed in sirup with added citric acid, and frozen, retain good color, flavor and texture for one year. Canned jackfruit retains quality for 63 weeks at room temperature—75° to 80°F (23.89°-26.67°C), with only 3% loss of B-carotene. When frozen, the canned pulp keeps well for 2 years.

In Malaya, where the odor of the ripe fruit is not avoided, small jackfruits are cut in half, seeded, chilled, and brought to the table filled with ice cream.

The ripe bulbs, fermented and then distilled, produce a potent liquor.

The seeds, which appeal to all tastes, may be boiled or roasted and eaten, or boiled and preserved in sirup like chestnuts. They have also been successfully canned in brine, in curry, and, like baked beans, in tomato sauce. They are often included in curried dishes. Roasted, dried seeds are ground to make a flour which is blended with wheat flour for baking.

Where large quantities of jackfruit are available, it is worthwhile to utilize the inedible portion, and the rind has been found to yield a fair jelly with citric acid. A pectin extract can be made from the peel, undeveloped perianths and core, or just from the inner rind; and this waste also yields a sirup used for tobacco curing.

Tender jackfruit leaves and young male flower clusters may be cooked and served as vegetables.

Leaves: Young leaves are readily eaten by cattle and other livestock and are said to be fattening. In India, the leaves are used as food wrappers in cooking, and they are also fastened together for use as plates.

Latex: The latex serves as birdlime, alone or mixed with Ficus sap and oil from Schleichera trijuga Willd. The heated latex is employed as a household cement for mending chinaware and earthenware, and to caulk boats and holes in buckets. The chemical constituents of the latex have been reported by Tanchico and Magpanlay. It is not a substitue for rubber but contains 82.6 to 86.4% resins which may have value in varnishes. Its bacteriolytic activity is equal to that of papaya latex.

Bark: There is only 3.3% tannin in the bark which is occasionally made into cordage or cloth.

Medicinal Uses: The Chinese consider jackfruit pulp and seeds tonic, cooling and nutritious, and to be "useful in overcoming the influence of alcohol on the system." The seed starch is given to relieve biliousness and the roasted seeds are regarded as aphrodisiac. The ash of jackfruit leaves, burned with corn and coconut shells, is used alone or mixed with coconut oil to heal ulcers. The dried latex yields artostenone, convertible to artosterone, a compound with marked androgenic action. Mixed with vinegar, the latex promotes healing of abscesses, snakebite and glandular swellings. The root is a remedy for skin diseases and asthma. An extract of the root is taken in cases of fever and diarrhea. The bark is made into poultices. Heated leaves are placed on wounds. The wood has a sedative property; its pith is said to produce abortion.
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Immature fruits can be cut into segments, boiled and eaten like a vegetable. The seeds are good boiled and roasted. Ripe fruit can be chilled or mixed in a fruit salad. This is one of the most versatile fruits. Used immature as a vegetable, stuffed or sautéed mixed with any kind of meat or fresh served as a fruit. Use your palate as a guide when being creative; here are 2 recipes to get you started with the largest fruit in the world. 

VEGAN BBQ PULLED PORK SANDWICH at A Saucy Kitchen's website  which contains a recipe with canned Jackfruit arils. CLICK HERE.
ANDY'S NOTE: Please let me know if you find a recipe that uses fresh arils, thanks! 

NATIVE RANGE: Fairchild Tropical Garden claims that it is native to western India. (5) "No one knows the jackfruit's place of origin but it is believed indigenous to the rainforests of the Western Ghats." (4)
DESCRIPTION: An monoecious evergreen tree with "a relatively short trunk with a dense treetop." (1) "It sometimes forms buttress roots." (1)
VARIETIES: Here in Florida, growers tend to divide jacks into two general groups, hard and soft. "Varieties are distinguished according to characteristics of the fruit flesh." (1) Julia Morton writes "In South India, jackfruits are classified as of two general types: 1) Koozha chakka, the fruits of which have small, fibrous, soft, mushy, but very sweet carpels; 2) Koozha pazham, more important commercially, with crisp carpers of high quality known as Varika. These types are apparently known in different areas by other names such as Barka, or Berka (soft, sweet and broken open with the hands), and Kapa or Kapiya (crisp and cut open with a knife). The equivalent types are known as Kha-nun nang (firm; best) and Kha-nun lamoud (soft) in Thailand; and as Vela (soft) and Varaka, or Waraka (firm) in Ceylon." (4)
NORIS LEDESMA'S RECOMMENDED VARIETIES FOR SOUTH FLORIDA:
1 - Fairchild First: Fruits are smooth and small. Flesh firm and mild, with a little latex. Averages 132 pound of fruit per tree.
2 - Sweet Fairchild: A seedling of "Tabouey." Fruiting is heavy and consistent, 200 pounds or more each year.
3 - Black Gold: Can be maintained at 6 -8' with annual pruning. Medium-sized fruits average 14 pounds each. Heavy annual production of 120-200 pounds per tree. The deep orange flesh has a strong aroma and sweet taste. The flesh is quite easy to remove from the fruit.
4 - Dang Rasimi: A Thai variety. Highly productive, 165-275 pounds per year. Rapid grower, annual pruning is recommended. Flesh is deep orange and firm. Fruits are medium-large, 18 pounds on average.
5 - Golden Nugget: Like Black Gold, it can be maintained at 6 -8' with annual pruning. Deep orange flesh is excellent tasting, no fiber. Fruits average 7 pounds. Yields 130-175 pounds on average per tree annually.
6 - J-31: Selected in Malaysia. Can be maintained at 6 -8' with annual pruning. "Trees of this size can produce 90 to 130 pounds per year." Large 25 pound fruits. The deep yellow flesh tastes sweet and rich. It "will often produce off-season fruit during the fall and winter."
COMMENTS ON FLORIDA VARIETIES BY SOME OF MY FRIENDS: I posed the following question to some of my Florida frtiends who are familiar with the fruits grown here - "What are your favorite Florida-grown jackfruit varieties and why?

- Sam Baker of Englewood Homegrown: "Had one from Paynter’s last year, I think he called it pink zima? It was incredible my favorite so far." ("Ziman Pink"). 
- Eric Brylle of FruitScapes: "Borneo red from John Painter is always a win." 

- Ryan Connaugton of Connaugton Farms & GreenDreams - "Yellow Sunshine was the only known variety that I knew was known when I ate it, but it was one of the best. Great taste and texture." 
- Ian Bonnes of GreenDreams - "Banana Crunch grown by Julian Lara is up there. But I'm pretty sure Borneo Red is hard to beat." 
- Steve Cucura of FruitScapes - "J-31 and NS-1 are hard to beat." 
- Pete Kanaris of GreenDreams - "I don’t have a particular named variety favorite, all though I have had the Borneo Red from Painter and that was fire! Honestly I’ve been pretty lucky with seedlings from the mustang market, they’re normally great." 
- Andy Firk (that's me) - My favorites so far have been Golden Nugget and NS-1. Time for me to get off my butt and track down a local Borneo Red! 

BEARING AGE: "Seedlings may ordinarily take 4 to 14 years to come into bearing, though certain precocious cultivars may begin to bear in 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 years." (4)
FRUIT YIELD: Julia Morton writes, "In India, a good yield is 150 large fruits per tree annually, though some trees bear as many as 250 and a fully mature tree may produce 500, these probably of medium or small size." (1)
HEIGHT: 30-60' tall. Julia Morton lists it over 70' tall. (4)
BARK: "The bark of the jackfruit tree is reddish-brown and smooth." (1).
LATEX: "In the event of injury to the bark, a milky juice is released." (1)
LEAVES: Alternate. Spirally arranged. (1) Petiole 1-3" long. (1) Leaf blade is 7-15" long, leathery. (1) "In young trees, the leaf edges are irregularly lobed or split. On older trees, the leaves are rounded and dark green, with a smooth leaf margin." (1)
FLOWERS: There are often a few thousand flowers within each inflorescence. Both male and female flowers are greenish in color.
FLOWERING SEASON: "The blooming time ranges from December until February or March." (1)
FRUITS: Inflorescences form right on the trunk (cauliflorously). Fruits are round to ellipsoid. "The fruits grow on a long and thick stem on the trunk. They vary in size and ripen from an initially yellowish-greenish to yellow, and then at maturity to yellowish-brown." (1) Often 10 to 40 pounds, and sometimes much larger. The largest that I have heard of here in Florida was 64 pounds, grown at Possum Trot in Homestead. "An average fruit consists of 27% edible seed coat, 15% edible seeds, 20% white pulp (undeveloped perianth, rags) and bark and 10% core." (1) The "rag" can be cooked and eaten, granted you cook it long enough that it becomes tender.
FRUITING SEASON: Julia Morton writes, "in Florida, the season is late summer and fall." (4) I have seen them fruiting almost all year here in Florida.
FRUIT'S NUTRITIONAL VALUE: "The pulp is composed of 74% water, 23% carbohydrates, 2% protein, and 1% fat." (1) A 100 gram portion contains "is a rich source (20% or more of the daily value of vitamin B6 (25% DV)." (1)
SEED'S NUTRITIONAL VALUE: "In general, fresh seeds are considered to be high in starch, low in calcium and iron; good sources of vitamins B1 and B2." (4) 

HISTORY: " It was probably first domesticated by Austronesians in Java or the Malay Peninsula." (1) "Archeological findings in India have revealed that jackfruit was cultivated in India 3000 to 6000 years ago." (3) For a more detailed report on its history try Googling "Fruits of Warm Climates by Julia Morton - Jackfruit." 

NOTES: Noris Ledesma recommends planting grafted trees only for superior fruit quality.
HARDINESS: "It is sensitive to frost in its early life." (4)
WATERING / DROUGHT TOLERANCE: It "cannot tolerate drought." (4) Water during dry periods. (4) "It cannot tolerate "wet feet". If the roots touch water, the tree will not bear fruit or may die." (4)
POLLINATION: The are generally self-fertile, however, some growers may (rarely) hand-pollinate flowers to get more "fruits with more of the fully developed bulbs than does normal wind-pollination." (4)
PRUNING: Little is usually required. "After harvesting, the fruiting twigs may be cut back to the trunk or branch to induce flowering the next season." (4)
PROPAGATION: Usually be fresh seeds, no more than a month old. (4) Plant relatively soon after sprouting as the taproot develops quickly and needs to be free in the ground to be happy. Grafted trees are sold at fruit tree nurseries, although grafts may be difficult if one is not proficient at the technique.
RELATED SPECIES GROWN IN FLORIDA: I have seen folks growing Kwai Muk and Chempedak.
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ADD PARTS OF THIS TO THE CULTURE SECTION / FROM NORIS LEDESMA"S ARTICLE:
"A graft should be used to ensure a healthy and productive tree. Jackfruit trees are best planted when the temperatures are warm. The planted tree should be thoroughly watered to remove air pockets. It won’t need supplemental irrigation after the tree is established. However, for those who tend to overwater, the jackfruit may be your answer, as it can withstand daily drenching with no ill effects.

Soil should be as fertile as possible and will benefit from the addition of mulch to the soil surface. Mulch will improve water-holding capacity, nutrient retention and availability and soil structure. Wind, when associated with low humidity, is detrimental to the health of young jackfruit trees. The tree is not tolerant of salt in the soil, water or air. Fertilization is best done by three applications per year in March, July and September of an 8-3-9 or other fruit tree formulation.

Jackfruit trees will form a stately, dense and rounded canopy with a minimum of input, but horticultural management is necessary to maintain a small, healthy and productive tree. With annual pruning the tree is easily maintained at a height and spread of six to eight feet. Pruning should be done once per year following harvest of the major crop, or towards the end of the growing season."
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