The four jackfruit trees that my grandmother planted behind the house when she was still alive were always full of fruit. When summer came, the jackfruits ripened and filled the garden with a fragrant aroma. Whenever she smelled the distinctive aroma, my mother would tell me to climb the tree, cut the stem so the jackfruit fell to the ground, and then use a knife to cut it open and eat it right away. After eating the jackfruit, she would leave the seeds behind. Every time my mother would remind my sisters and I to wash them and boil them. The seeds, which were rich, fatty, and had a very unique taste, became a food to save the people of my hometown from starvation at one time.
For children who grew up in the fields, living a life of poverty, no one grew up without having eaten jackfruit seeds. After eating the sweet jackfruit segments, my sisters and I competed to collect some jackfruit seeds to boil. Choosing the delicious jackfruit seeds, we put them in a basin of water, squeezed to remove all the remaining jackfruit fibers, then put them in a pot, sprinkled a little salt, put them on the stove and waited for the seeds to cook. In the past, my family always cooked with bamboo firewood. To save firewood, after cooking rice and soup, with the fire still burning brightly, my sisters and I started boiling the jackfruit seeds. Every time we boiled, I often eagerly opened the lid to see if the jackfruit seeds were cooked yet. Seeing that the water was taking a long time to boil, we added more firewood, and the fire flared up fiercely. After about 10-15 minutes, the water started to boil. The water boiled but we did not rush to scoop out the seeds, but waited until the shells had partially peeled off before the seeds were cooked.
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| Photo: GC |
When the jackfruit seeds are ripe, we take the pot down. Leaving the pot as it is, we pour the water and seeds into a basket placed on the ground. All the water flows out, leaving in the basket fresh, delicious, fragrant jackfruit seeds.
“The jackfruit seeds are ripe! The jackfruit seeds are ripe!”. My sisters and I competed to bring the basket to the middle of the porch for the whole family to eat. The jackfruit seeds were taken out, still steaming hot. My sisters and I picked up a handful of seeds, blew on them and ate them. The sweet taste combined with a little saltiness of the salt permeated the seeds, making us extremely excited. When my parents came home from work, my sisters and I quickly called out: “Dad, Mom, come in and eat the jackfruit seeds!”. The moment the whole family gathered together to peel and share each jackfruit seed was so warm and happy!
Sometimes, when we went out somewhere or saw our neighbors eating jackfruit and throwing away the seeds, we would pick them up and save them for when Mom cooked rice and steamed them. When the rice boiled, Mom would put them in the pot. When the rice was done, Mom would stir the pot and pick out the jackfruit seeds mixed with the rice grains and put them on a tray. The whole family ate the rice grains stuck in the seeds while using their mouths to peel off the steamed jackfruit seeds and chew them. Laughter echoed throughout the small house. On bright moonlit nights, my neighbors would often bring baskets of jackfruit seeds out to the middle of the yard, eating and chatting animatedly.
Just like that, the rustic, readily available food of rural children followed us as we grew up. At that time, just eating boiled jackfruit seeds made us very happy, because it helped "fill our stomachs" during times of crop failure, when there was no rice or grain. My mother often said: "Eating a jackfruit seed is equal to three chicken eggs". I didn't really believe it. Perhaps in the past, there was a shortage of rice, so we had to eat rice mixed with potatoes and cassava, so the villagers often comforted each other like that. Later, I learned that jackfruit seeds are also an extremely nutritious food, just like my mother said. Jackfruit seeds are rich, "small but mighty". They contain natural starch and many nutrients, helping to fight against some diseases that are harmful to the body.
Gone are the days of eating boiled jackfruit seeds to stave off hunger. Now, after eating jackfruit segments, few people save the seeds to boil. Because many people think, there are so many other delicious foods, why waste time on a dish that few people like. As for me, I still have the old habit of trying to collect jackfruit seeds to boil, hoping to find childhood memories.
Every time I go back to my hometown, I often see my mother diligently picking jackfruit seeds and boiling them for her grandchildren to eat. Jackfruit seeds have a fragrant, sweet, and rich taste, but all the children shake their heads and pout. Some eat a few seeds and then stop. Are they so used to the delicious dishes of today that they reject the rustic dishes that remind them of the difficult times of the past? My eyes suddenly well up with tears, remembering the old days, remembering the times I waited for my family to split open the jackfruit so I could boil the seeds to eat to stave off hunger...
Five-Piece Line
Source: https://baokhanhhoa.vn/van-hoa/nhung-vung-ky-uc/202502/thom-bui-hat-mit-tuoi-tho-4274629/
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