Jujube
I’ve been trying different fruit that is unfamiliar to me and this post is all about jujube, which is a type of red date.
Jujube is one of the cutest names for a fruit in my opinion. Whenever I hear the name, I think it sounds like a nickname that one would use on an adorable baby or I think of the little chewy and gummy candies that bear the same name.
When I first saw these small brown spotted fruits at Ranch 99 labeled “jujubes” I was really surprised. I had no idea what they were and I had no idea that there was a fruit with such a name. I bought some just because of the cute name.
What is a Jujube?
Jujubes are Chinese red dates. You can enjoy them fresh, but they are often dried and used in Chinese desserts and herbal soups.
After I researched them I realized I’d had them before in their dried form. I used to call them little apples because the dried form looks like tiny, wrinkled, dark red apples. They even have a little stem just like an apple and have a little seed inside.
Here is an image of a dried jujube. I’ve had them quite a few times in soups my mom has prepared.
My family never eats the fresh ones which is why I never tried one until I started doing my own grocery shopping. I enjoy them. They are crunchy and taste like apples, but are not as juicy.
Fresh Jujube
When you buy them fresh they usually are either all brown or are green with brown spots.
I don’t know too much about picking jujubes. I’ve found the brown ones tend to be sweeter, but they are also a bit drier (since they turn completely brown when they are dried, I think these have started their drying process).
The greener ones have more moisture but are also more tart. I wanted to buy a variety for this post, but the ones available when I purchased them were brown ones. I actually bought the ones for these photos from Zion Market.
It was fun discovering them on my own only to remember later that I grew up eating the dried ones.
Here are some other fruit varieties I like to buy, too:
we have many trees of jujubes on my island i love them i used to eat them wen ever i saw trees with them, there very tasty, and there are several types of them. on our island u have the normal small ones and than there’s the bigger ones that have more edible fruit to it, i recommend not eating it wen its green or light green yellow cause its not ripe than, i eat it wen their dark yellow/ orange/ brown than it has more taste to it. im really looking forward next year to going back to the island so i can enjoy more of the tropical fruits there. btw im from Curacao and live in Holland now.
I just visited my parents and there were jujube trees from the neighbors so I got to get a few.
Whenever I see these on sale, people are hovering over the area and buying them up like crazy. They taste okay to me, but I never understood all the fuss.
I used to eat dried jujubes as a kid and in soups and such. But I’ve never really cared for the fresh one. Like you, I find them too dry and just not worth the effort in the taste department.
You should look for the fruit in your local asian supermarket and try it out sometime
Hello
I think I am also same like.I also had no idea about this kind of fruit.You are right that this jujube name is like a nick name.Thank you very much for sharing this information about jujube.