Ingredients For Life – Fresh Chinese Red Dates

Chinese Red Dates – Jujube – Ziziphus jujuba – 红枣 (hong zao) – 大枣 (da zao)

In most places, except some part in China I guess, the Chinese Red Dates (红枣 – Hong Zao), or Korean Red Dates, Japanese Red Dates, depending on the culture really, but its the same thing, usually comes dried, but lately, fresh red dates have been seen in Asian markets, so people knowing about them and eating them fresh must have grown, there’s a market for the fresh form now.

Growing up in Malaysia, I have only known red dates in it’s dried form, I have never seen it’s fresh form, I probably thought they were dried straight out of the tree … So I when I saw it in fresh form for the first time, naturally, I have no idea what it is, I just thought I have found some fruit that I have never seen in my life before, even though I have consumed and used them throughout my life.  Hey, can you blame me?  They were actually green before they turn red, so they can be part green and part red.  These in the photo has already turned red completely, I will try to find some green one in the store to photograph and add it here.

And for the longest time, I have no idea people would actually eat it fresh.  So imagine my surprise when I first saw my friend from China eat it fresh, I am like, are you sure you can eat this thing raw? The guy looks at me probably thinking what’s his problem and chow away.

Just because something is eatable does not mean people will like to eat it.  This is the case for me with fresh red dates, I don’t like eating them.  I thought the taste is too green, the texture is too dry, and the skin is too rough and papery.  To me, it’s like eating a plum that has no taste, very very dried and has long past the season.  Of course, this is just my own taste, there are a bunch of people who love eating it fresh.

Red dates in its dry form is a type of Chinese Herb, and most commonly used in cooking soup.  In its fresh form, it is just a fruit, and somehow, most Chinese believe herbs in its fresh form do not has the same effect as when it is dry (properly dried I must add), and most people won’t consider it herb at all.  I always thought that the medicinal property of herbs should have been stronger and plenty compares to its dry counterparts.  I might want to dive in deeper and talk to a herbalist about this, I am curious.

-Lumaca