In Season Now: Crisp and Sweet Jujubes

That's right! Long before jujubes became synonymous with fruit-flavored jelly candies, they were a real fruit. And still are! Have you ever eaten them?

Jujubes look a bit like a horse chestnut when freshly picked and taste like a mild-flavored apple. Under-ripe fruits can taste chalky, but they gradually become sweeter as they mature. They also start to wrinkle as they age, which is why you'll sometimes see them called Chinese dates. You can also find them fully-dried like raisins, candied, or even smoked.

A few ripe jujubes travel well packed in a lunch bag and make an excellent afternoon snack. They can also be sliced and added to everything from salads to turkey stuffing. The dried varieties are traditionally used to make teas and tonics, but can also be a great alternative to raisins or dates in muffins, scones, and other quick breads.

The fruits originated in China, where they play a role in traditional Chinese medicine as a stress reliever, immune system enhancer, and anti-inflammatory agent. Here in the US, you'll be more likely to find them in Asian markets and West Coast farmers markets than the larger mainstream groceries.

Do you love jujubes? How do you use them in your cooking?

Related: Recipe: Chinese Chicken Soup

(Image: Flickr member Gary Soup licensed under Creative Commons)

Comments (13)

Ive eaten them as a 'new fruit' for Rosh Hashanah before and they are pretty good. But I find the peel a bit tougher then I would like.

Thanks doll,
The Glamorous Housewife

I just purchased these for the first time last week and I love them although I admit that due to their small size, I probably eat about 1/2 dozen at a time. I have 3 in my lunchbag today alone!

Dried jujubes are fantastic. Not so much a fan of the fresh ones though.

I live in a rural area of northern China. In our city, all produce is sold seasonally, and let me tell you, this is jujube season! (I was stuffing my face with them right before I saw this post!) There are trucks parked on every street corner overflowing with jujubes, and the streets themselves are covered with the fruit, left out to dry in the sun.

I don't know of any recipes that call for fresh ones, but there are lots of porridges and soups with dried jujubes. If anyone's interested, I can translate some recipes. :)

We have a jujube tree in our yard - not my favorite fresh fruit but dried they are good. The deer love them!

We've only ever cooked with the dried ones (reconstituted). They make great sweet dessert soups (Vietnamese che).

It's been hit or miss with the fresh ones. When they are ripe, the light sweet flavor and the tender crisp texture is just heavenly. But short of ripeness, they are bland and leaves a puckeriness (kind of like unripened persimmons) in your mouth.

Anyone have a method of telling when they are truly ripe, just before the wrinkliness?

My mind is blown. Jujubes are a real food! Incredible!

I too would like some clues as to what to look for in a ripe jujube. Texture? Smell? We have them at our farmer's market but I've been burned a few times by buying unripe ones that never seemed to really ripen on my counter...

I love jujubes! My family has had a tree in our backyard for as long as I can remember and I have only ever eaten them fresh. As for how to tell if they're ripe, you want them to be more brown than green. The browner they are, the better. At least, that's been my experience!