>Covered in spikes and emitting a stench of rotting onions,<p>Wondering if that bit about "rotting onions" is wrong. I'm Indian and live in India, and while I haven't eaten jackfruit often, I have eaten it sometimes (the ripe sweet version), and never got a smell like that from it. I've even travelled for non-trivial periods through Tamil Nadu and Kerala states, where jackfruit is grown a lot, seen it growing on roadside trees, etc. It definitely has a strong smell, but it's just a strong sweet fruity smell, IIRC. Definitely can be an acquired taste, maybe more so for people from the West. But not bad, IMO.<p>Anyone else know better? or is the rotting onion smell they mention, from when it is not ripe yet, maybe? Because I've not seen/tasted it in that stage.<p>BTW, I've read elsewhere that it is supposed to be one of those wonder plants, which can help combat malnutrition, hunger, etc., if grown on a larger scale in the tropical (and subtropical?) countries where it can grow, and where there are sometimes food shortages, such as some parts of Asia and Africa.<p>Same goes for a few other plants/trees (in the sense of wonder plants, though not necessarily all for nutrition - some are for medical, construction or other uses, often multiple uses), like coconut, neem, bamboo, Moringa (drumstick tree), etc.<p>Edited for grammar.