Saturday, November 5, 2011

Jujube (Indian Ber/ Indian Plum)


I am back after a brief hiatus. A long ghastly spell of flu and throat infection kept me away from the blog. The weather went crazy with October snow and sudden drop in temperature. I am still on the road to recovery albeit much better now. We had a quiet sombre Diwali celebration owing to the death of a close relative. I made couple of sweets for Diwali which I will post soon.

Recently, I found Tender Indian Ber (Tarne Bor) at Indian store. At first I was led to believe that they were Hog Plums (Ambado) but then on close examination, they were the tender version of Indian Ber (Bor). They are known and available as Ber in India; the popular names are Jujube/ Ber/ Indian Plum.

Jujube/ Indian Plum/ Ber
is a fruit which hits the market during winter time or early summer depending on the crop and yield. The ripe fruit and unripe fruit are both relished by kids and adults alike. The unripe fruit is pickled in salt water or sold as candies in the market in some regions in India. The ripe fruit is also preserved and used as a acidic/ souring agent for culinary use, but mostly relished and eaten on its own in India.

The medicinal value of the fruit is unprecedented and not known by many. The ripe fruit is of great medicinal value and supports blood pressure lowering, aids stomach and diarrhoea infection, cures sore throat and regulates excess bile secretion. The unripe fruit on the other hand causes throat pain and sore throat if eaten in excess. The fruit is applied on cuts and wounds and the leaves are also loaded with medicinal properties and deemed edible in some cultures and geographies.

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