Also known as the Chinese red date, the jujube is a deciduous tree. The origin of the plant is obscure because it has been in cultivation for so long. It may be a native of China or India although there is a good argument for it being native to the Mediterranean region, probably Syria. It has an upright habit and grows to 9 m tall. The branches tend to droop under the weight of the fruit.
It prefers full sun. It is well suited to deep, alkaline and saline soils, and drought conditions. It is tolerant of, but does not favour waterlogging or clay soils.
Damaged roots can cause the tree to send out suckers.
The fruit is light green to reddish brown and rich in vitamin C. When eaten fresh it has a crisp texture with a flavour between apple and date. It dries well and is a saleable product. The fruit is also boiled with millet and rice, stewed, baked, pickled, or used as a coffee substitute. It can also be used in puddings, cakes, breads, jellies, soups, sweetmeats, etc. Jujube flour is made into a miso - like fermented hot pepper and soyabean paste in Korea. The dried fruit is often used in fish dishes and soups. A sweet made from the fruit is the original jube.
Nutritional composition of the fresh jujube per 100 grams of edible portion is: Water - 70.2%, Energy - 105 calories, Carbohydrate - 27.6 g, Fat - 0.2 g, Protein - 1.2 g, Ash - 0.8 g, Calcium - 29 mg, Potassium - 269 mg, Sodium - 3 mg, Iron - 0.7 mg, Phosphorous - 37 mg, Vitamin A - 40 I.U., Thiamin - 0.02 mg, Riboflavin - 0.04mg, Niacin - 0.9 mg, Ascorbic acid - 69 mgs.
Nutritional composition of the dried jujube per 100 grams of edible portion is: Water - 19.7%, Energy - 287 calories, Carbohydrate - 73.6 g, Fat - 1.1 g, Protein - 3.7 g, Ash - 1.9 g, Calcium - 79 mg, Potassium - 531 mg, Iron - 1.8 mg, Phosphorous - 100 mg, Ascorbic acid - 13 mgs.
The fruits are soothing to the throat and the juice is used in decoctions for treating colds and sore throats. They are also used in pharmacy to sweeten medicines.