The giant tropical fruit that can weigh up to 40 kilos and is grown on the eastern Costa del Sol

Its scientific name is ‘Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam’, although it is best known as ‘Jack Fruit’. Some people also call it saca, jaca, panapén and simply ‘jack’. This impressive fruit is considered to be the largest on the planet, as it can weigh up to 40 kilos in tropical climates. In the Axarquía area to the east of Malaga province, which for several decades has become the main producer of subtropical fruits in southern Europe, the ‘Jack Fruit’ has also been grown for several years now. However, they tend only to grow up to 20 kilos per piece.

One of the places where jack fruit have been successfully cultivated is the La Mayora farm in Algarrobo, which belongs to the Institute of Subtropical and Mediterranean Horticulture (IHSM) of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and the University of Malaga (UMA). “This autumn we have had some fruits weighing around 15 kilos,” explained the scientific centre in a recent publication on social media. “This crop, which is very popular in countries such as India, Bangladesh and Thailand, has an intense flavour and can be eaten both unripe (used as an imitation of meat) and ripe for different preparations,” they added.

Jack fruit is a species belonging to the Moraceae family, native to Indonesia, where the greatest genetic diversity is found among its islands. It is also distributed in South and Southeast Asia. This tree produces the national fruit of Bangladesh as well as Indonesia. It has strong similarities with ‘Artocarpus altilis’ (breadfruit tree), native to Indonesia and Melanesia.

The fruit is yellow in colour, similar to mango. Its juice is slightly acidic and quite sweet, with a taste reminiscent of a mixture of mango and orange. The problem is that it has an average weight of 20 kilos per piece, which does not make it easy to sell. Its weight also means that its price is also high. In European markets it can reach up to ten euros per kilo. The main markets for large Dutch exporters are mainly southern Europe and Scandinavia.

The tree does not tolerate drought and grows in low and humid regions. It bears fruit all year round, although it produces more from February to July. The fruit can be stored for up to six weeks in the refrigerator.

A three-kilo mango in Triana

Record-sized mangoes continue to be harvested in the Axarquía , which has seen an historic harvest this autumn, with more than 35,000 tonnes, three times more than in 2024 and mangoes weighing more than three kilos.

A phot of the latest giant mango was posted on the Triana en el Corazón de la Axarquía Facebook page, where in a recent publication, ‘Ricardo’ is reported to have grown a fruit weighing more than three kilos.

“Yes, you read that right… more than three kilos of pure tropical sweetness! A specimen worthy of appearing in the Guinness Book of Records, which proves once again that in Triana anything can happen, including giant mangoes For now, we can proudly say that the biggest mango in the world is in Triana, congratulations, Ricardo, for this jewel of nature,” the post read.

However, as SUR reported in September, the heaviest mango certified by Guinness World Records reached 4,250 grams. This record was obtained by a couple of Colombian farmers in the town of Boyacá in 2020.