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.
31 Comments
un fruit que je ne connais pas mais d’après ton explication il doit être très goûteux
on apprend!!!!
bonne journée
I think NYC needs to invest in some of these pronto. They look tasty!
Exotic fruit, I am not sure if I ever eaten this.
p.s
I made kibbeh using your recipe yesterday, it was delish! Thx for sharing the recipe.
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.
I have bought dried jujube from asian vendors at the open market but I have
never tasted them fresh. I will look for them.
Thanks for introducing me to a new fruit. Beautiful photography!
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!
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!
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)?
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
I have never seen or heard of this fruit… can’t wait to give it a try!
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!
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!
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!
They almost look like chestnuts. I’d love to try these.
going to fire off letters to Whole Foods and Sunflower Market demanding a little ennabe on the shelf!
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!
I guess this is available in India too and I have tasted it.
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.
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
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.
these grow outside of my in-laws house in Ain-Saade. I love these I wonder if I can find them around Los Angeles!
@Sheridan: If someone had them in Texas, then they can certainly be found in California; I would check middle-eastern grocers.
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.
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!
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.
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!
@Lisa: Here they are sold at the Asian supermarkets for $1.29 a pound (US)!
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…
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.