Jujube

Also known asChinese Date · Red Date · Ziziphus jujuba · 红枣 · 大枣

Name: Jujube (Ziziphus jujuba), also called red date, Chinese date, Chinese jujube or, in Chinese, hongzao; the Korean name is daechu. It is unrelated to the chewy jujube candies of the same name, and also unrelated to the true date.

Description

Jujube is native to southern Asia and has been cultivated in China for more than four thousand years, where it is one of the most important traditional fruits. It is an important food and tonic fruit in Chinese and Korean cooking, and appears in sweet soups, teas and medicinal dishes. The trees are tough and thrive in dry, hot conditions.

Fresh jujubes are small, round to oval, with crisp, apple-like flesh and a sweet, mild flavour when green to reddish-brown. As the fruit dries, the skin wrinkles and darkens to red or brown and the flavour turns sweeter and more date-like. It has a single hard stone in the middle.

Main nutrition value

Fresh jujubes are notable for their vitamin C content, while both fresh and dried fruit provide dietary fibre, potassium and plant compounds called polyphenols.

How best to be consumed

Fresh jujubes are crisp and juicy, while dried ones are chewy and sweet.

1. Eat fresh jujubes like small apples, once the skin has taken on some colour and the flesh is crisp.
2. Simmer dried jujubes in water or with ginger to make a sweet, warming tea, popular in China and Korea.
3. Add to soups, stews and rice dishes, as in Chinese chicken soup or Korean samgyetang.
4. Slice dried jujubes into porridge, cakes and desserts in place of raisins.
5. Remove the stone before eating, and cut small pieces for children.

Overconsumption could cause…

Jujubes are safe in ordinary amounts, with a few considerations around the dried, concentrated form.

1. High sugar and calorie intake from eating many dried jujubes, which are concentrated.
2. Digestive upset, such as bloating or loose stools, from a large amount of fibre and sugar at once.
3. A choking risk from the hard stone, especially for young children.
4. Possible drowsiness or interaction with sedative or blood-pressure medicines when used heavily as a traditional remedy — ask a doctor or pharmacist.

GroupsStone FruitsRose family (Rosaceae)Low fatLow sodiumRich in vitamin CChineseFresh

Related foodsLycheeCherrySweet CherryMangoSour CherryApricot

Wikipedia — Jujube, used for origin, naming and history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jujube