Jujube (UK/ˈdʒuːdʒuːb/; US/ˈdʒudʒub/ or/ˈdʒudʒəbiː/[5]), sometimesjujuba, scientific nameZiziphus jujuba, and also calledred date,Chinese date, andChinese jujube,[6] is a species in the genusZiziphus in the buckthorn familyRhamnaceae. It is often confused with the closely related Indian jujube,Z.mauritiana. The Chinese jujube enjoys a diverse range of climates from temperate to tropical, whereas the Indian jujube is restricted to warmer subtropical and tropical climates.[7]
It is a smalldeciduous tree orshrub reaching a height of 5–12 metres (16–39 feet), usually with thorny branches. Theleaves are shiny-green, ovate-acute, 2–7 centimetres (3⁄4–2+3⁄4 inches) long and1–3 cm (3⁄8–1+1⁄8 in) wide, with three conspicuous veins at the base, and a finely toothed margin. Theflowers are small,5 millimetres (1⁄4 in) wide, with five inconspicuous yellowish-green petals. The fruit is an edible ovaldrupe1.5–3 cm (5⁄8–1+1⁄8 in) deep; when immature it is smooth-green, with the consistency and taste of an apple with lower acidity, maturing brown to purplish-black, and eventually wrinkled, looking like a smalldate. There is a single hard kernel, similar to anolive pit,[8] containing two seeds.
The ultimate source of the name isAncient Greekζίζυφονzízyphon.[11] This was borrowed intoClassical Latin aszizyphum (used for the fruit) andzizyphus (the tree). A descendant of the Latin word into a Romance language, which may have been Frenchjujube ormedieval Latinjujuba, in turn gave rise to the common Englishjujube.[5] This name is not related tojojoba, which is a loan from Spanishjojoba, itself borrowed fromhohohwi, the name of that plant in theOʼodham language.[12]
The binomial name has a complex history, due to a combination of botanicalnaming regulations, and variations in spelling. It was first named in the binomial system byCarl Linnaeus asRhamnus zizyphus, inSpecies Plantarum (1753).Philip Miller, in hisGardener's Dictionary, considered that the jujube and its relatives were sufficiently distinct fromRhamnus to be placed in a separate genus (as it had already been by the pre-Linnaean authorTournefort in 1700), and in the 1768 edition he gave it the nameZiziphus jujuba (using Tournefort's spelling for the genus name). For the species name, he used a different name, astautonyms (repetition of exactly the same name in the genus and species) are not permitted in botanical naming. However, because of Miller's slightly different spelling, the combination of the earlier species name (from Linnaeus) with the new genus,Ziziphus zizyphus, isnot a tautonym, and was therefore permitted as a botanical name. This combination was made byHermann Karsten in 1882.[8][13] In 2006, a proposal was made to suppress the nameZiziphus zizyphus in favor ofZiziphus jujuba,[14] and this proposal was accepted in 2011.[15]Ziziphus jujuba is thus the correct scientific name for this species.
Its precise natural distribution is uncertain due to extensive cultivation. However, its origin is thought to be in southwest Asia, betweenLebanon,northern India, andsouthern andcentral China, and possibly also southeastern Europe though more likely introduced there.[8] It grows wild but is also a garden shrub, kept for its fruit.
The tree tolerates a wide range of temperatures and rainfall, though it requires hot summers and sufficient water for acceptable fruiting. Unlike most of the other species in the genus, it tolerates fairly cold winters, surviving temperatures down to about −15 °C (5 °F), and the tree is, for instance, commonly cultivated in Beijing. This wide tolerance enables the jujube to grow in mountain or desert habitats, provided there is access to underground water throughout the summer. The jujube (Z. jujuba) grows in cooler regions of Asia. Five or more other species ofZiziphus are widely distributed in milder climates to hot deserts of Asia and Africa.[16]
This plant has been introduced inMadagascar and grows as aninvasive species in the western part of the island, threatening mostly protected areas. It is cultivated in parts of southern California.[17]
Witch's broom, 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.[18] In Europe, the last several years have seen some 80%–90% of the jujube crop eaten by insect larvae (see picture), including those of thefalse codling moth,Thaumatotibia (Cryptophlebia) leucotreta.[19]
In Madagascar, it is widely eaten by free-rangingzebus, and its seeds grow easily in zebu feces.
Freshly harvested and candieddried fruit are often eaten as a snack or with coffee. Smoked jujubes are consumed in Vietnam and are referred to as black jujubes.[22] A drink can be made by crushing the pulp in water.[23] Both China and Korea produce a sweetened tea syrup containing jujube fruit in glass jars, and canned jujube tea or jujube tea in the form of teabags. To a lesser extent, jujube fruit is made into juice and jujubevinegar (called枣醋 or红枣醋 in Chinese). They are used for makingpickles (কুলের আচার) in west Bengal and Bangladesh. In Assam it is known as"Bogori" and the pickle, Bogori aachar (বগৰি আচাৰ), is famous. In China, a wine made from jujube fruit is calledhong zao jiu (红枣酒).
Sometimes pieces of jujube fruit are preserved by storing them in a jar filled withbaijiu (Chinese liquor), which allows them to be kept fresh for a long time, especially through the winter. Such jujubes are calledzui zao (醉枣; literally "drunk jujube"). The fruit is also a significant ingredient in a wide variety of Chinese delicacies (e.g.甑糕jing gao, a steamed rice cake).
In Vietnam and Taiwan, fully mature, nearly ripe fruit is harvested and sold on the local markets and also exported to Southeast Asian countries.[24] The dried fruit is used in desserts in China and Vietnam, such asching bo leung, a cold beverage that includes the dried jujube, longan, fresh seaweed, barley, and lotus seeds.[24]
On his visit toMedina, the 19th-century English explorer,Sir Richard Burton, observed that the local variety ofjujube fruit was widely eaten. He describes its taste as like "a bad plum, an unripe cherry, and an insipid apple". He gives the local names for three varieties as "Hindi (Indian), Baladi (native), Tamri (date-like)."[25] A hundred years ago, a close variety was common in theJordan valley and aroundJerusalem.[26] Thebedouin valued the fruit, calling itnabk. It could be dried and kept for winter or made into a paste which was used as bread.[27]
InPersian cuisine, the dried drupes are known asannab, while in neighboringArmenia, it is commonly eaten as a snack, and is known asunab. Confusion in the common name apparently is widespread. Theunab isZ. jujuba. Rather,ber is used for three other cultivated or wild species, e.g.,Z. spina-christi,Z. mauritiana andZ. nummularia in parts of India and is eaten both fresh and dried.[clarification needed] The Arabic namesidr is used forZiziphus species other thanZ. jujuba.
Traditionally in India, the fruits are dried in the sun and the hard seeds removed, after which the dried flesh is pounded withtamarind,red chillies, salt, andjaggery. In some parts of the Indian state ofTamil Nadu, fresh whole ripe fruit is crushed with the above ingredients and sun-dried to make cakes calledilanthai vadai orregi vadiyalu (Telugu).[28] It is also commonly consumed as a snack.
In Northern and Northeastern India the fruit is eaten fresh with salt and chilli flakes and also preserved as candy, jam or pickle with oil and spices.
In Madagascar, jujube fruit is eaten fresh or dried. People also use it to make jam. A jujube honey is produced in theAtlas Mountains of Morocco.[24]
Italy has an alcoholic syrup calledbrodo di giuggiole.[29]
In Croatia, especiallyDalmatia, jujubes are used in marmalades, juices, andrakija (fruit brandy).
In Senegal and The Gambia, Jujube is called Sii dem or Ceedem, and the fruit is used as snack and also turned into a dried paste favoured as a sweetmeat by schoolchildren. More recently it has been processed and sold in Dakar by women.
The fruit and its seeds are used inTraditional Chinese Medicine andKampo for many purposes. Some investigational research indicates possibilities related to their traditional use to alleviate stress[33] and for sedation.[34] In these systems, it is also believed to have uses as an antiseptic/antifungal agent, anti-inflammatory, contraceptive, and muscle relaxer. It is also thought to help in regulation of blood pressure, stimulate the immune system, prevent ulcers and aid in wound healing. Jujube fruit is also combined with other herbs to treat colds and influenza. It is used to protect and heal the kidneys, heart, and spleen. Jujube is also one of the ingredients used in Chinese medicine to modulate the effects of other herbs, preventing overpowering effects or clashing properties.[citation needed]
The fruit contains many different healthy properties like vitamins and amino acids[citation needed].
In Japan, thenatsume has given its name to a style oftea caddy used in theJapanese tea ceremony, due to the similar shape.[35] Its hard, oily wood was, along with pear, used for woodcuts to print books starting in the 8th century and continuing through the 19th in China and neighboring countries. As many as 2000 copies could be produced from one jujubewoodcut.[36][verification needed]
The timber is sometimes used for small items, such astuning pegs for instruments. Select grade Jujube timber is often used in traditional Asian instruments for fingerboard, pegs, rests & soundposts, ribs & necks etc. It has a medium to hard density similar to luthier grade European maple and has excellent tonal qualities. Jujube Wood can be found in local folk instruments from Ceylon/India thru to China/Korea; it is also commonly used in China in violin & cello making for overseas export, though usually stained black to imitate the look of ebony.[citation needed]
In Arabic-speaking regions the jujube and alternatively the speciesZ. lotus are closely related to thelote-trees (sing. سدرةsidrah, pl. سدرsidr) which are mentioned in theQuran,[37][38] while inPalestine the speciesZ. spina-christi is calledsidr.[26]
Jujube tree is important inHinduism too asVishnu is worshipped in amajor temple, inBadrinath, from the Sanskrit compound Badarīnātha, consisting of the termsbadarī (jujube tree) andnātha (lord), an epithet ofVishnu.[41] It is also known as Badarikashrama.
^Clarke, D. L. (1988).W. J. Bean Trees and Shrubs Hardy in the British Isles, Supplement. John MurrayISBN0-7195-4443-2.
^Kirkbride, Joseph H.; Wiersma, John H.; Turland, Nicholas J. (2006). "(1753) Proposal to conserve the nameZiziphus jujuba againstZ. zizyphus (Rhamnaceae)".Taxon.55 (4). International Association for Plant Taxonomy:1049–1050.doi:10.2307/25065716.JSTOR25065716.
^abcLim, T. K. (2013).Edible Medicinal and Non-Medicinal Plants. Vol. 5, Fruits. Dordrecht: Springer Science+Business Media. p. 580.ISBN978-9400756526.
^Crowfoot, M. Grace withLouise Baldenserger (1932)From Cedar to Hyssop. A study in the Folklore of Plants in Palestine. The Sheldon Press, London. pp.112,113
^Genesis 2:10–2:14: "A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters. [...] The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Ashur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates."
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