noshing

Geoff & Drew’s Late Night Incredible Cookies Trader Joe’s pumpkin seeds Barilla’s tortelloni Kay’s BMarket -Bcrescent rolls

Call it the anti-candy. Frieda’s dried jackfruit looks unimpeachably (no fruit-pun intended) nutritious — the twisted chunks of what looks like yellow leather are as ugly as old-school health food ever was. And yet the sugar rush they cause beats that of any chocolate bar. Never heard of jackfruit, you say? Well, it’s an enormous tree-borne fruit of Southeast Asia. Its flavor has been described as a cross between banana and pineapple; when dried, the flesh forms an intensely sweet core edged with tartness. Packaged in three-ounce bags, it makes for a stellar treat whenever you need a quick energy fix, yet wish to maintain at least the semblance of dietary virtue. In short, it’s a snacker’s pay dirt. So if you’re not hooked from the very first bite, you really don’t know jackfruit.

Available at Shaw’s supermarkets for $1.79 per three-ounce bag.