Alternative names Jube | ||
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Similar Bear claw, Lemon drop, Oatcake, Sugar plum, Sweet roll | ||
Jujube (/ˈdʒuːdʒuːb/ or /ˈdʒuːdʒuːbiː/), or jube, is the name of several types of candy, varying in description on a regional basis. The candies can vary in texture from being hard and resinous to something similar to firm loukoum or gummy candies.
Contents
In the United States, Jujubes is the brand name of a particular type of candy, whereas in Canada and India the word is generic, and describes any of many similar confections.
Types
American jujubes are a type of starch, gum and corn syrup based candy drops originally produced by the Heide Candy Company. They are much stiffer than their relatives (e.g. Jujyfruits).
Jujubes are a traditional western candy that first existed in the late 19th century and early 20th century. The candy came to prominence in the mid-20th century. As with most candies of this era, although jujubes are sweet in taste and generally colorful, they do not have the strong and distinctive flavor of modern candies due to the expense of chemical flavorants at the time. Jell-O produced during the same time period also exhibits a similar lack of coordination between color and flavor.
The manufacturer's website states, "Jujubes, known for their hard, break-glass quality texture, began production in 1920. Original flavors included lilac, violet, rose, spearmint, and lemon. Rose and spearmint have been changed to cherry and lime, as a result of flavor availability." Thus, the current flavor lineup is lemon (yellow), lilac (orange), lime (green), cherry (red), and violet (purple).
How they are eaten
Due to their hard, dense, resinous nature, Jujubes are often eaten as a hard candy — "tenderized" rather than chewed. Individual Jujubes can be allowed to gradually rehydrate in the mouth with gentle chewing. When chewed hard, they could glue the upper and lower teeth together. When frozen, they become brittle and break when chewed. The 1996 Gummi Reviews published by NewTimes, Inc., stated, "Jujubes are a nearly inedible delicacy, that have less in common with gummi bears than prehistoric amber droppings have with old insects."