Thiruvananthapuram: Green, spiky and with a strong, sweet smell, the bulky jackfruit enjoys a royal status in households of Kerala, and has lately been dubbed as a “superfood” for its growing popularity as a meat alternative worldwide.
But in Kerala, where it is in abundance and grown in the many backyards, the thorny thorny fruit is being called “super” for a very different reason after two humongous jackfruits were found, each weighing over 50 kilograms, within a few days of each other.
Now the stage is set for an unprecedented competition as the two battle to set a new Guinness World Record for the largest jackfruit.
John Kutty, belonging to the Edamulakkal village in Kollam, told News18 he had sensed something unusual with one of the fruits as he climbed high up on the jackfruit tree in his courtyard last weekend. With the help of his relatives he managed to pull the fruit down using huge ropes.
To everyone’s wonder, the huge fruit weighed 51.5 kilograms and measured 97 centimetres.
The current world record in the Guinness Book for the heaviest jackfruit is 42.73 kg and 57.15 cm length set in Pune in 2016.
Kutty informed the nearest agriculture officer and officials of Guinness World Records have assured a visit soon, he said.
While the giant fruit in Kollam was making news, another such super-fruit emerged from the northern side of the state. This one was found from a farm owned by Vinod, a Kannur native residing in Mumbai.
The jackfruit weighed 52.35 kg immediately after harvesting, he said. After the sticky latex was oozed out, the fruit was 52.2 kg in weight. Vinod is planning to explore the chances to set a world record and has gathered all necessary photos and videos.
While it may seem there is a clear winner here, the officials of the Guinness World Records will perform their own tests. A neck-and-neck race is expected in the coming days to know who walks home with the title.
(With inputs from V.V. Vinod in Kollam and Ratheesh Vasudevan in Wayanad)
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