Agriculture Bureau of Kaohsiung City Government

• Jujube：The Emerald Green Jujube:Taiwan Green Apple

Jujube is native to India. Although it is unclear when it was introduced to Taiwan,it was already cultivated during the Japanese Colonial Period. Through the improvement of planting and breeding techniques of Taiwanese growers, they gradually evolved into today’s jujubes. At present, the abundant jujubes are mostly grown in the southern regions of Taiwan, and Kaohsiung City has the largest yields that also boast large fruit size with good taste. The emerald green appearance makes one’s mouth water, and the top quality jujube is even regarded as the “Taiwan Green Apple.”
The appearance of the jujube is ovoid in shape with emerald green color. It is thin-skinned, sweet, crisp, juicy and rich in vitamin C, and is one of the few fruits that can be eaten with the skin. Every bite of the jujube gives you a crisp mouthfeel with continuous aftertaste. Since the harvest time of jujube occurs before and after the Chinese New Year, and jujube is considered a “propitious fruit,” it has, therefore, become the most popular “gift” during the Lunar New Year period. The major growing regions of jujubes include the districts of Yanchao, Dashe, Alian, Tianliao and Gangshan of Kaohsiung. All of these districts are adjacent to the famous badlands “Moon World.” Due to special soil properties, the land is rich in potassium, magnesium and other minerals and trace elements, giving the fruits grown in these areas an especially sweet taste and strong flavor.

• Purchasing Principles

The best jujube should be complete and plump with a slightly oval shape. As for the stalk end, the wider the better. If there is brownish color at the tip of the fruit, it is a sign of overripe fruit. A jujube with yellowish-white skin color and waxy luster is a better choice.

• Our story：The Sweet and Delicate Auspicious Fruit
  To genus Ziziphus in the buckthorn family Rhamnaceae. Jujube and the generally well-known red date and black jujube are different species of fruit trees. The scientific name of the jujube that is currently available in the market is Ziziphusmauritiana or Indian jujube, which is native to India, and was already cultivated in Taiwan during the Japanese Colonial Period for cultivation. It has become rather popular in Taiwan in recent years. Growers often found variant strains that differed from the planted species in the jujube orchard. Therefore, breed alteration is more frequent than is the case with other fruit trees. From the past “Telong,” “Biyun,” “Gaolang No. 1” to the current major breed “Jujube”, jujube has become the “Taiwan green apple” with an amazing smooth taste.

• Delicious dishes:Jujube with Roasted Sesame Paste
  • Ingredients:
    • One jujube
    • shrimp eggs   a litte
  • Seasoning
    • Roasted sesame paste
  • Cooking Method
    • Pour roasted sesame paste onto the dish; place the shredded jujube in the dish, and finally add some shrimp eggs to it. It is a good relish for Japanese udon noodles, cold noodles or cooked food.

• Applications of the Fruit
  • 1Candied fruit
  • 2.Jam
  • 3.Dried fruit 
  • 4.Jujube Juice