Indian Jujube – Elantha Pazham

The Indian jujube is called as Indian Plum or Indian cherry in English, “Ber” in Hindi, “Badri” in Sanskrit. The Tamil name is “Elanthai Pazham” (இலந்தை பழம்) or Elantha Pazham.

Jujube also known as Red Date or Chinese Date has originated in China and have been cultivated for more than 4,000 years. The fruit is a drupe, varying from round to elongate shape and from small gooseberry size to plum-size. There are hundreds of varieties available all over the world.

The immature fruit is smooth-green. As it matures more, it changes to greenish orange and when it fully ripe it becomes dark reddish brown and wrinkled.

The fruits grown in North India are bigger than the one we get in South India, particularly in Tamil Nadu.

In Tamil Nadu, the fruits are in small round shape and mostly sold by vendors near the schools. Children eat these along with chilli powder and salt.

The ripe fruits are generally consumed raw, but are sometimes used for making candies, pickles and used in desserts.

“Elantha Vadai” is one of the famous candies which we get in Southern Tamil Nadu. Now this vadai finds a place in City’s super stores also. This vadai is made by drying the fruits in the Sun after removing the seeds. Then it is pounded with tamarind, red chillies, salt and jaggery. Then small vadas made from this dough and again dried in the Sun.

Medicinally, jujubes have been used to treat nerves and as a cure for insomnia.

It cures stomach-aches, respiratory problem, throat infection, urinary inflammation and constipation. It is helpful with liver troubles, asthma and fever.

They are equally effective in the treatment of diarrhea, dysentery, gout, ulcer and rheumatism. A teaspoonful of powder of dry fruit stops excessive menstruation.

Irrespective of the medicinal value the fruit has, it is not much liked by all. But it will definitely bring in our School Day memories.

34 Comments

  1. RAKS KITCHEN

    Happy new year to you Kamala and Looking forward for more recipes from you in the New year 2009!

  2. Thank you very much for your New Year wishes. Hope my recipes will be helpful to people who wants to try the traditional dishes.

  3. RAKS KITCHEN

    Sure Kamala…Your style of cooking is very similar to ours…so if I have any doubts,I am refering ur blog only….so kepp on going:)
    My friend too have tried so many recipes from ur blog…real keeper:)

  4. I am from Andhra and we call them regu pandu or rekkayalu. Wow you sure made up my day.I love them so much. Just the other day I was thinking of my school days when we use to buy these potlis with salt and chilli powder and they use to taste like heaven. I sure miss them here in US.

    • I went to school in Visakhapatnam, A.P. and grow the plant(s) in Georgia. Check with your local Indian Grocery store; they should have this fruit in season as they are grown commercially in Florida due to a demand from oriental immigrants from SE Asia and the Far East.

  5. Is there any instrument available for it's collection from farm? Need to know about an instrument to collect the jujube in farms in Maharashtra.

  6. Hi Raju,

    Fruit pickers are available in Agriculture product stores. You can check with them.

  7. Nice site, nice and easy on the eyes and great content too.

  8. Wow… Loved ur recipes.. Actually , my appetite is over once i go through all ur sweets.. I felt like i had some.. Was goggling for elantha vadai, the only page i found is urs.. I m in US , my mom is gonna visit here.. since its elantha pahzam season , i crave for elantha vadai. Can u mention the measurement for the elantha vadai if u know, plz…

  9. What a great resource!

  10. please let me know where do i get this elanthavadai in chennai. my daughter in uk
    wants this iam leaving for uk this week end

    • Hi Gowri,

      Try at “Ambika Appalam” stores or Kuralagam near Broadway or Khadi Craft at Anna Salai. You may also get it in small stores who sell vathal/vadam.

  11. Hello Kamala,

    There is something called “Milagai” vadai (not Milagu vadai) , made out of Green Chili, Urud Dhall and not sure what other spices are included. This is like Vatral/Vadam. Where do I get this in Chennai or if you know the receipe, could you please share it in your web site.

    -Thanks.

  12. Lisa Smith

    I grew up in tropical north Queensland, Australia. We had acres of jujube trees growing wild everywhere. We didn’t call them that. I only learned their real name recently. We used to call them “chiney apples”, possibly in reference to the Chinese who may have originally brought them here. We loved them. We’d climb up the trees and eat them whether they were just ripe or old and soft. When they were soft they were called “snotty gobbles”. I know that’s gross, but that was what we called them. I can almost remember the aromatic taste, but it has been so many years since I tasted them – possibly 40 – that I don’t really remember. Most of the trees were removed, as they were considered a pest here. I don’t live in the same place any more. But I would love to find a source of these, as I really did like the taste and as you say, it brings back old memories.

    • Hi Lisa Smith,

      Thank you for sharing your memories. We are getting it plenty in India in its season. But I am not sure about other places.

    • Lisa: I know how, as we grow older, we long for the sounds (Music), tastes (Indigenous foods) and smells (Blossoms of Jasmine or a Lotus) associated with our childhood. I immigrated to the United States and get ‘homesick’ for many things lost since my younger days. In my backyard garden in Central Georgia, you can see that I have recreated a landscape that is reminiscent of my native India with several native species of fruiting trees, flowering shrubs and vegetables from my homeland. Each winter, I have to “save” them indoors but they are my kith and kin now, having lost both parents to old age. I have seen on Google, Jujube seeds available from Australia. I will be glad to send you some, as they germinate quite easily.

  13. where can it be found in Nigeria?

    • I worked briefly in West Africa (Liberia) and it grows wild in the province of Grand Gedeh and I am sure in neighboring countries as well.

    • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ziziphus_mauritiana

      It grows in Zambia as well. The colonial British Troops enlisted hundreds of Indians to support their African military adventures as well as their Caribbean colonies. These Indians brought with them their native vegetables, fruits and spices. Several of these Indians eventually settled in both Africa and in the West Indies’ island nations. After looking for some Indian herbs for almost four decades in the United States, I found them in Jamaica and Barbados!

  14. Kamala: Your post on the Ber brought back very fond memories of going to Madrasi school in New Delhi. On the way, I would either climb trees to help myself to the tasty oblong fruits, larger than the Jamun but behind our school, we could pick off the thorny bushes, the smaller red variety, also called Ber. Indeed, you could also buy it from street vendors carrying them in a basket on the head but I did not relish the hot masala they would sprinkle on the fruits served on a broad leaf made into the shape of a cup. After about sixty years, I found the fruits being sold at a local Indian grocery store in Georgia (US) and paid a fortune to taste a few berries. Thanks again for refreshing my memories from a happy childhood.

  15. Hello,

    Where can I find ilanthai vadai in Bangalore? Please help.

    Thanks!

  16. Hello! I’m at work browsing your blog from my new iphone 3gs!
    Just wanted to say I love reading through your blog and look forward to all your posts!
    Carry on the great work!

  17. Hi can u let me know where I can get jujube leaves in OMR

  18. Hi Kamala,
    Your info on Elantha Pazham brought back old memories of my school days in Cluny School, Neyveli. The petty squabbles we used to have when my friends did not bother to share this very tasty fruit. Yes.. But then everything is settled for a handful of the fruit again. I live in Kerala and yesterday, I had to go to Udumalpet, near Pollachi for a nieces marriage. I found this fruit after almost 35 while on my way to Udumalpet. I bought a kilogram of this fruit and took it home. I had narrated my school experiences to my kids and inlaws. Nevertheless, they were not amply impressed with the fruit, as rightly noted by you. Come what may, this Elanthapazham brought back fond memories of my school days…

  19. Hi . I really miss this fruit …. Been searching quite sometime in Bangalore and have hardly found it… This fruit is nostalgic and brings back all memories

  20. Hi kamala, when i was young and in chennai, I did not like this fruit much. Just as Lisa mentioned they are really snotty. But my mom used to make yummy vadai by grinding green chillies, green coriander and jaggery with the fruits and sun drying the mixture thoroughly and store them in jars. Then the ilandai vadai would vanish.
    Now I stay I Ahmedabad where this fruit is found in abundance in LD arts college compound from where I pick fresh ones during morning walks and made the same yummy vadai. My kids don’t like the smell but I and my husband relish them.

  21. I have not tasted this fruit or liked during my school days but i got this “amrut” fruit in chandigarh… where i live…. and by chance got this in mandi… initially i was not sure what this is ? purchased with some confidence and when i started eating it at home,, then went back my school old memories… ada namma ELANDA pazham… wow … it is very nice… i noticed after eating this first day it is very good fruit to treat constipation… god’s gift… i am loving it… i will be a regular customer for this fruit from now on… God has connected me with this fruit after nearly 45 years of my existence in this earth… feeling humbled.. oh god!!

  22. R. Raghunathan

    Excellent, this simple jujubi write up has given me immense pleasure. Thanks

  23. Antony Kanjirathinal

    I want elanthapazham plants. From where can I buy the seedling grafted variety.

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