Jujube Totally Explained

Everything about Jujube totally explained

ť For the chewy candy, see Jujube (confectionery). Ziziphus zizyphus (from Greek ζίζυφον - zizuphon, syn. Z. jujuba, Rhamnus zizyphus), commonly called Jujube, Red Date (紅棗), or Chinese Date, is a species of Ziziphus in the buckthorn family Rhamnaceae, used primarily for its fruits.
Its precise natural distribution is uncertain due to extensive cultivation, but is thought to be in southern Asia, between Syria, northern India, and southern and central China, and possibly also southeastern Europe though more likely introduced there.
It is a small deciduous tree or shrub reaching a height of 5-10 m, usually with thorny branches. The leaves are shiny-green, ovate-acute, 2-7 cm long and 1-3 cm broad, with three conspicuous veins at the base, and a finely toothed margin. The flowers are small, 5 mm diameter, with five inconspicuous yellowish-green petals. The fruit is an edible oval drupe 1.5-3 cm long; when immature it's smooth-green, with the consistency and taste of an apple, maturing dark red to purplish-black and eventually wrinkled, looking like a small date. There is a single hard stone, similar to an orange or a tv olive stone. The fruit, being mucilaginous, is also very soothing to the throat and decoctions of jujube have often been used in pharmacy to treat sore throats.

Culinary use

The freshly harvested as well as the candied dried fruits are often eaten as a snack, or with tea. They are available either red or black (called hóng zǎo or hēi zǎo, respectively, in Chinese), the latter being smoked to enhance their flavour (External Link

). In mainland China, Korea, and Taiwan, a sweetened tea syrup containing jujube fruits is available in glass jars,^photo and canned jujube tea or jujube tea in the form of teabags is also available. Although not widely available, jujube juice(External Link

) and jujube vinegar^photo (called or in Chinese) are also produced.
In China, a wine made from jujubes called hong zao jiu (红枣酒) is also produced.(External Link

) Jujubes are sometimes preserved by storing in a jar filled with baijiu (Chinese liquor), which allows them to be kept fresh for a long time, especially through the winter. Such jujubes are called jiu zao (酒枣; literally "spirited jujube").
In addition, jujubes, often stoned, are a significant ingredient in a wide variety of Chinese delicacies. In Persian cuisine, the dried drupes are known as annab.

Other uses

The jujube's sweet smell is said to make teenagers fall in love, and as a result, in the Himalaya and Karakoram regions, men take a stem of sweet smelling jujube flowers with them or put it on their hats to attract the opposite gender.
In traditional Chinese wedding ceremony, jujube and walnut were often placed in the newly wed's bedroom as a sign of fertility.
In Japan, the natsume has given its name to a style of tea caddy used in the Japanese tea ceremony.
In Korea, the wood is used to make the body of the taepyeongso, a double-reed wind instrument.

Pests and diseases

Witch's brooms, prevalent in China and Korea, is the main disease affecting jujubes, though plantings in North America currently are not affected by any pests or diseases.

Names in other languages

Arabic - ennab (عنّاب) or sedr (سدر)
Assamese: - 'bogori
Bangla: - boroi
Chinese - zǎo (simplified: ; traditional: ; Wade-Giles: tsao; also hóng zǎo (红枣), dà zǎo (大枣), hēi zǎo (黑枣), or zǎozi 枣子)
Gujarati: bor (બોર)
Hindi: ber
Japanese: natsume (棗)
Korean: daechu (대추)
Marathi: bor (बोर)
Persian - annab (عَنّاب)
Thai Language - Bhud-Saar (พุทรา)
Turkish - hünnap
Tamil - elanthai
Telugu - regu pandlu-(రేగుపండు)
Urdu - ennab (عنّاب)
Vietnamese - táo tàu

Further Information
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