Indian Twitterati give befitting response to foreign publication that called the Jackfruit an 'unharvested pest-plant'

Every Onam, hundreds of Indians throng South Indian eateries to have the famous 'Onam Sadya' - a traditional Kerala style lunch. And the hero of every 'Onam Sadya' is the Jackfruit in the form of a stir-fry dish, chips or a payasam (sweet milk-based)

Unfortunately, The Guardian did not know this and has called the beloved South-Asian fruit a 'vegan sensation', stirring a huge uproar on the internet amongst the jackfruit lovers.

The article, authored by Zoe Williams has said that the fruit was eaten only as a last resort saying:

"The jackfruit- a spectacularly ugly, smelly, unfarmed, unharvested pest-plant native to India which used to be left to rot on the tree, but has become a fashionable meat substitute."

This has made 'kathal' and 'chakkai' lovers to defend it online emphasizing how the jackfruit is popularly consumed in its raw as well as ripe form. Many have shared the fact that more than 500 recipes are inspired by the humble fruit. They have also pointed out that the jackfruit was not only exclusive to India but was widely consumed by other tropical countries too.

While Zoe Williams had written the article to highlight how the jackfruit had become a hit meat substitute among vegans only in 2017 and many international brands like Starbucks had used it in their vegan wraps, Twitterati rubbished her claims saying how the taste of the fruit has always been compared to meat with it being christened 'gachh pantha'- meaning lamb of the tree in West Bengal.

Here are a few of the angry responses to the jackfruit slam: