Jujube fruit
August 15, 2010 • Category: Ingredients
This is a fruit that is eaten in Lebanon when it is in season; its flesh is crunchy and its taste similar to an apple. It has been introduced in the US, mainly in California, but so far, is only known by a few people.
It has 20 times the amount of Vitamin C of citrus fruits! Most of the amino acids and minerals required by the body! Apparently it has been used in Chinese medicine for thousands of years.
I predict we will be seeing more of this fruit, known as ennabe in Lebanese and jujube or Chinese date in English.
Source for the benefits of jujube e-how.
Comments
36 Comments • Comments Feed
fimère says:
un fruit que je ne connais pas mais d’après ton explication il doit être très goûteux
on apprend!!!!
bonne journée
On August 15, 2010 at 5:31 am
Joanne says:
I think NYC needs to invest in some of these pronto. They look tasty!
On August 15, 2010 at 7:32 am
elra says:
Exotic fruit, I am not sure if I ever eaten this.
On August 15, 2010 at 9:18 am
elra says:
p.s
I made kibbeh using your recipe yesterday, it was delish! Thx for sharing the recipe.
On August 15, 2010 at 9:19 am
Katerina says:
I know dates but I have never heard of this particular one. This is very useful to women, since it contains so much vitamin C.
On August 15, 2010 at 9:58 am
Nadege says:
I have bought dried jujube from asian vendors at the open market but I have
never tasted them fresh. I will look for them.
On August 15, 2010 at 11:57 am
Lazaro says:
Thanks for introducing me to a new fruit. Beautiful photography!
On August 15, 2010 at 12:22 pm
Christine @ Fresh says:
I’ve enjoyed eating these jujube fruits, but never knew that they were so good for you. The next time I see these guys at the Asian markets, I’m picking up a whole bunch!
On August 15, 2010 at 2:23 pm
Magdalena says:
I do not know this fruit; as always, I wonder, how they taste; I always find out something new on your blog; I feel a bit ashamed because of my brief comments; not only because I suffer from lack of time, but I also suffer from my back lately more than usually, and I cannot spend too much time in front of the computer; anyway, I read your blog on regular basis and I enjoy it a lot!
On August 15, 2010 at 4:18 pm
Eve@CheapEthnicEatz says:
I have been developing a big curiosity for exotic fruits in the last months, this is a new one. Now I am dying to taste it. Any connection with the candies Jujube (the french word)?
On August 15, 2010 at 4:31 pm
Oui, Chef says:
Interesting…of course it will probably take decades for us to see these in the Northeast. You say they have the crunch of an apple, what do they taste like? – S
On August 15, 2010 at 4:41 pm
deana says:
I have never seen or heard of this fruit… can’t wait to give it a try!
On August 15, 2010 at 5:03 pm
George-Athens/Greece says:
Oh I haven’t seen those jujube fruits for ages – as a child with my “gang” we used to attack over a ladyneighbor’s fence to collect some of them either to eat or to use(especially the green ones) as ammunition in our marches towards our “enemies”…
In Greek we call them ‘jee-jee-fa’ or ‘zee-zee-fa’…sounding almost similar with ‘ju-ju-be’…its scientific name however is officially above all: Zizuphus* jujuba (family Rhamnaceae).
Does anyone here know any local special recipe (dish or dessert) with these fruits?
* Zizuphus genus contains ~40 species, according to Brittanica!
On August 16, 2010 at 2:14 am
joudie's mood food says:
Oh my Goodness Joumana, i have not had one of these for soooo long. As soon as i saw it i remembered the taste in my mouth. I am now going on a hunt in London to find them….. YUMM!
On August 16, 2010 at 4:28 am
Faith says:
What an interesting fruit! It’s new to me and I’d love to be able to find it at the market here to give it a taste!
On August 16, 2010 at 5:07 am
T.W. Barritt says:
They almost look like chestnuts. I’d love to try these.
On August 16, 2010 at 5:57 am
12th Man says:
going to fire off letters to Whole Foods and Sunflower Market demanding a little ennabe on the shelf!
On August 16, 2010 at 7:06 am
Doc says:
I love the Turkish Teas as well. Are the popular in Lebanon as well? I also can’t wait to try the jujube fruit. I only heard about jujubes as a chewy candy growing up! Thanks for the education!
On August 16, 2010 at 7:37 am
Radhika says:
I guess this is available in India too and I have tasted it.
On August 16, 2010 at 9:19 am
Soma says:
Yesterday we got a grocery bad full of this fruit from a friends yard. We love it. I was not aware of the name as they call it Chinese Dates. It is delicious to the core.
On August 17, 2010 at 9:28 am
A Canadian Foodie says:
I thought it tasted like a mix between an apple and a nut. I had one at The Ferry Building Market in San Fran last summer. I didn’t find it at all juicy – or flavourful… just a very interesting texture with a flavour so subtle that i couldn’t really discern it.
🙂
valerie
On August 18, 2010 at 9:12 pm
Conor @ HoldtheBeef says:
Ahhh, interesting. I had someone at my work trading list saying they had a lot of these fruit to sell from their tree, and now I know what they were talking about.
On August 19, 2010 at 3:24 am
Sheridan says:
these grow outside of my in-laws house in Ain-Saade. I love these I wonder if I can find them around Los Angeles!
On August 23, 2010 at 9:29 pm
Joumana says:
@Sheridan: If someone had them in Texas, then they can certainly be found in California; I would check middle-eastern grocers.
On August 23, 2010 at 10:32 pm
OysterCulture says:
Love jujube – it really needs to get the word out. I can find them easily in my neighborhood but then I’m near a Chinatown, so I have an advantage.
On August 24, 2010 at 8:12 pm
JGraham says:
My grandfather (native of Hasbaya) had several jujube trees in his yard in South Alabama dating back to the 50s, and now my parents have trees in their yard. There is nothing as quite as tasty as these!
On August 26, 2010 at 7:34 pm
LWall says:
These grow in my backyard, in New Mexico, and I can hardly find anyone to eat them. I like them, but my family is lukewarm on them. I just eat them mostly when I’m hanging laundry. I brought some to my favorite Chinese restaurant owner, and he was very excited. He says in China they are like apples are to us. My grandmother used to can them with pecans in a syrup made with brown sugar instead of white. The trees are taking over one side of my yard, and I have just let them. If anyone finds some fresh, you may want to try growing the seed. The variety I have seems to propagate from the seed, to produce a tree that makes fruit.
On September 14, 2010 at 10:40 am
Lisa says:
They have these at my favorite supermarket in Qatar right now but no one could tell me what they were, only said ennab and that that was the English word (um, no.)! A google search led me to your site, which found months ago and love. At almost USD 11 a kilo I don’t think we’ll buy a bunch, but we are going to try them now that we know how to eat them. Thanks!
On September 22, 2011 at 8:46 am
Joumana says:
@Lisa: Here they are sold at the Asian supermarkets for $1.29 a pound (US)!
On September 22, 2011 at 10:35 am
Matots says:
I Have it in my backyard,I dont pay attention till my sister told me,It’s a good fruit, and I try it , I love it…
On October 5, 2011 at 12:47 pm
Dr. Barry S. Alpert says:
After reading your post I finally started eating the big bag of jujubes I bought for $1 at Great Wall supermarket in Wash DC metro (branches within NYC, Boston, & Atlanta areas). I’ll recommend them for taste & health benefits.
On November 4, 2011 at 6:38 am
R W says:
i wait Ennab season every year , its so good love it, i dry it and keep some for winter time.
On September 11, 2012 at 1:16 pm
Joumana says:
@R W: what a great idea! Do you dry it in the sun? (I guess the Chinese do that too!)
On September 11, 2012 at 1:17 pm
Val says:
I bought these at the Riverside Kaiser Permanente farmers market. I’d never seen jujubes before.They are sweet, tart, delicious and crisp. They taste like an apple, grape, pear and nut combo. The flavor seemed to change as I chewed.
On January 24, 2014 at 11:19 pm
paulina says:
It will be expensive here in Nigeria even though it is beneficial
On April 19, 2017 at 3:58 pm
paulina says:
I said it would be expensive because it is not planted here
On April 19, 2017 at 3:59 pm