In Tamil literature, three fruits, mango, jackfruit and banana, are called ‘mukkani’ (tri-fruits). ‘Mukkani’ has a much deeper cultural significance than Tamil culture. Mukkani Payasam is a seasonal sweet prepared from three summer fruits – mango, jackfruit and banana. There is a special ‘No Cook’ version of this Payasam and this is an additional feature.
‘Pala’ (jackfruit) is one of the traditional fruits of the state. Panruti in Cuddalore district of Tamil Nadu is called the center of jackfruit because of its unique taste. Although jackfruits are grown all over Tamil Nadu, Panruti has a different niche in the market for jackfruit. This is because of its wonderful taste, while the soil fertility and climatic conditions of the Panruti region make jackfruit rich and delicious. The rich aroma of jackfruit can also be tasted while passing through the jackfruit shop. It is because of the abundance of taste that jackfruit stands together in ‘Mukkani’.
In addition, Panruthi, Panikkankuppam, Satthipattu, Maligampattai, Keezhakuppam, Nadukkuppam, Pillaiyarkuppam, Keezamampattu, Melmampattu, Kadamampuliyur, Marungur, Kattukudalur, Sirutthikamadevappu, 800 hectares of land. The fruiting season falls during February, March, April, May and June every year. Currently, the sale of jackfruit is in full swing in Panruti and farmers also say that jackfruit trees are ripe despite last year’s insufficient rainfall.
Generally jackfruit is sold between Rs 100 to Rs 500. The fruits harvested here are exported to Chennai, Salem, Madurai, Bangalore and even abroad. No matter how many jackfruit trees there are in Panruti, there is always something special to be found in a particular tree, right? Yes, Panruti region is also unique for ‘Airam Kaichi’ jackfruit tree.
Hundreds of jackfruits emerge in a year from a 200-year-old jackfruit tree found in the Panruti region. Cuddalore is one of the most affected areas during the ‘Thane’ cyclone. Even when the storm caused severe damage to Panruti, ‘Ayiram Kaichi’ stood still and somehow survived. The 72-year-old farmer Ramasamy hails from Maligampattai near Panruthi. He plants mango, jackfruit, cashew, guava and tamarind trees on his 5 acres of land. A jackfruit tree in his garden is eye-catching- a 2 centuries old tree.
Talking to us, Ramasamy said, ‘This grove is our heritage asset. The only jackfruit tree planted by my ancestors is still standing strong. When I was a kid, I was told that the tree started bearing fruit 8 years after it was planted. Every subsequent year, the tree will drop a thousand pollinators. Only 350 of them will be made to compost and grow. The rest will be cut out. This is because obesity would decrease if we all omitted pollination. Maintenance goes through several other processes. Apparently the weight of each jackfruit is 10 kg to 80 kg, while the taste of the fruit of this tree is twice as good as that of others.
Further, he said that the Thane cyclone of 2011 devastated Cuddalore district and most of the jackfruit trees and cashew trees were uprooted in the Panruti area. This 200-year-old jackfruit tree was also marginally affected. It loses its leaves and appears bald. However, I took care of the tree on the advice of the agriculture officials. Ramasamy said that only after three years the ‘Ayiram Katchi’ tree started bearing fruits and it continued successfully every year.
According to the farmer, the tree is called ‘Ayiram Kaichi’, as it releases a thousand pollinators in a year. Recently, when officials from the Palur Research Center went to collect seeds, the machine with which they had initially predicted that the tree could be 150 years old. After all, he also said that the machine he had could only predict trees up to 150 years old. Subsequently, he estimated it to be over 200 years old and perhaps five generations long.
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