Cempedak earned a permanent spot on my top ten favorite fruits list the very first time I tried it, onion smell and all.
The Basics
Cempedak, Artocarpus integer, is closely related to jackfruit and breadfruit, part of the same Artocarpus family we’ve been steadily working through, alongside breadnut.
Origin and Habitat
Native to Southeast Asia, particularly Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand, thriving in the same warm, humid lowland conditions as its jackfruit relatives.
What It Looks Like
Very similar to jackfruit but smaller, with noticeably less latex, containing seeds surrounded by a chewy, fibrous pulp.
Uses and Flavor
The first time I tried it, it had this incredible sweetness like perfectly caramelized, crispy onions, and the more I chewed the more complexity came out of it. Julia disagreed entirely and said it tasted like rotten juicy fruit gum, and it does have an intense onion smell, like someone diced a hundred onions in the room, which means it definitely doesn’t belong in a fruit bowl on the counter. Complicated fruit, but I loved it.
Growing It Here
Traded for this one with Blake, and planted a second tree later in the year since Artocarpus really wants multiple trees around for good fruit set. We’re down to a single tree now, about 10 feet tall and looking healthy, though it needs more light than it’s currently getting. The earlier tree also survived a close call when a falling banana bent up its protective cage but left the tree itself unscathed, one of our cats has a habit of climbing mature banana stalks and jumping off right before they crash down.
Pests and Diseases to Watch For
No real pest issues yet, though apparently falling bananas and overly athletic cats are a hazard worth cage protecting against.
Kenta’s Take
Welcome to the top ten, cempedak. Not every fruit that smells like a hundred diced onions deserves that spot, but this one does, even down to one tree instead of two.