Thursday, November 11, 2010

Super Foods

My latest find: The Jujube aka Ziziphus zizyphus.

What is it? A fruit.
Other name? Chinese Date.
Where is it from? India and Asia.
Where can you find it? Locally grown in California and Florida - probably Arizona as well. I bought mine at the Santa Monica Coop, brought in locally from California. It has a very high resiliency and grows not only in very cold temperatures, but also in very hot ones provided it has access to a source of water underground.

No, as you can see, I'm not referring to the confectionary "jujube", I am talking about the Asian fruit, the Jujube. They are rather small, about the size of a ping pong ball, and the ones I recently purchased were a dark redish brown in color. When you cut them open, the texture is much like that of an apple. The center contains a hard core/seed which you will want to remove before you eat it. They are sweet in taste and a really pleasant surprise when you first eat one.

How do you eat it? Dried. In Tea. Fresh and Raw like any other fruit. Blended in smoothies (my personal favorite in the morning).
Uses? It is said to have a soothing, de-stressing effect - which we can all benefit from - and is also said to be good for treating sore throats. In some cultures it is said to make teenagers fall in love and in Chinese tradition it is left in a newlywed suite, along with walnuts, as a sign of fertility.

Personally, I'm hoping for the de-stressing affect. If Jujube is anything like Goji and Acai or Spirulina and Tumeric, then it will become a regular in my diet, as long as I can find it growing locally!!

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