Traditional Knowledge: A traditional comfort food - Chakkavarati

... from a Varrika Plavu, an Artocarpus heterophyllus in Kerala

The Jackfruit tree - Artocarpus heterophyllus, a native of the Western Ghats, known as *Plavu* in Malayalam used to be seen in abundance in most homesteads in Kerala. The numbers have dwindled with concrete structures replacing many homesteads. The wood is used as timber. The fruit is known as *Chakka* in Malayalam. In some parts of North India, the fruit of Artocarpus which has an altogether different texture and taste is known as *Kathal* in Hindi. In Sanskrit it is known as *Atibrhatphala*.

A variety of Artocarpus heterophyllus in Kerala is known as the *Varrika Plavu* and its fruit *Varikka Chakka* is sweet with a distinctive comforting flavour. During some seasons the *Varrika Plavu* bears its fruit *Varikka Chakka*, on the top branches making it difficult to pluck without dropping the heavy fruit on the ground.

A variety of Artocarpus heterophyllus - 'Varikka Plavu' bearing its fruit 'Varikka Chakkas' on its low lying branches in a season

Rubbing coconut oil one one's hands, on the knife for cutting, helps in smooth removal of the fruit, seeds and removing the stickiness from the inedible white long fibrous parts which hold the big fruit together.

A cut ripe fruit with the inedible white long sticky fibrous parts which hold the fruit together

It takes a lot of time and patience to remove all the edible parts and segregate the inedible parts

The Varikka Chakka is used in making a plethora of sweets like payasams, chakkavarati, and ela appams made in a banana leaf.

The seeds are removed and the fruit is sliced before making Chakkavarati

A big plate of full cut fruit, after cooking with jaggery and spices on a low flame, in a wide thick-bottomed cooking vessel with constant stirring for an hour and a half yields a small bowl of Chakkavarati.

Eating just a spoonful of Chakkavarati is comforting. Using a dry spoon makes it last long.

A spoonful of Chakkavarati, sometimes a bit more, helps in dealing with the cravings that sometimes come after taking the medications for serious mental illness.