This week, I was excited to see one of my new favorite honeys in an article from the NY Times. Jujube honey is not like any other honey that I've tried. It has a fascinating balance between bitterness and a bright sweetness. A spoon full of this honey is like diving into a field of flowers and being completely absorbed by nature while hearing Debussy's ethereal Clair de Lune being performed from a distance. In short, it's a magical culinary experience. Everything about this honey is harmonious from it taste to its luscious creamy texture.
This honey is produced from bees that pollinate flowers growing from jujube bushes in the the middle Atlas mountain range in Morocco. The jujube bush grows a small three centimeter edible fruit that's green and tastes of apples. As it matures, the fruit turns a dark red to purplish-black and eventually looks like a small date. It has a pit similar to that of an olive. I'm not sure where you can find this fruit in the U.S. Typically, they're used in Chinese cuisine to flavor wine and tea.
You can purchase this jujube honey directly online from Alili, the company that brands the honey. If you're in NY, you can find it at the following specialty shops: Truffette, Grace's Marketplace, and Chelsea Market Baskets.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
9-21-2008 @ 2:24PM
Earl said...
Sounds delicious. Wonder if this jujube is related to the Jujubes I ate at the movies when I was a kid. BTW, the plural of honey is honeys, not honey's.
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9-21-2008 @ 9:20PM
Liz said...
Has anyone given a thought as to how many miles that honey had to travel from Morocco?
We import so much food from so many parts of the world (Whether it's necessary or not.) How much precious diesel are we burning in the process?
It seems like such a waste when we have perfectly good honey here in the good ol' USA.
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9-22-2008 @ 1:43AM
Bao Q said...
Just to say that Jujubes are quite predominant in Asian influenced areas in Southern California. Very rare as they come from only a handful of local farms and are only in season for a short time. However they are some of the best fruit I have ever eaten.
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