JAVA PLUMS OR JAMUN - COLOR YOUR TONGUE: INFORMATION, PICTURES AND FRESH JAMUN JUICE RECIPE

JAMUN IN URDU

JAVA PLUMS IN ENGLISH

JAMUN or JAVA PLUMS

Jamun look like olives, but are a sweet, slightly sour fruit, with a stone like an olive. They are native to the subcontinent and Indonesia and there are two basic varieties. One Jamun tree has dark purple to dark blue fruit which have seeds, and the other is a seedless variety whose colours range from white to purple.

The fruit arrives in summer and it is believed that if you eat a lot of jamun in this season, you will be healthy for the rest of the year, and get through the winter months with relatively few illnesses. Some people eat jamun with a little salt to take away the astringency of its taste. You will see jamun translated as blackberries, which they are not, and black plums, again which they are not. They are known in the States as Java plums, although they are not popular in the UK, probably because they can’t be grown in the climate. On the subcontinent it grows wild as well as in orchards.

The whole tree can be used in medicine and the wood is strong and durable, so can be used as railway sleepers.

  FRESH JAMUN JUICE

Ingredients

10 jamun per glass, chopped and seeds removed

1 tsp honey

1 tsp lemon juice

Method

Blend the fruit, strain it, pour into a glass an add the honey and lemon juice. Chill in the fridge then serve with ice for a really cooling drink.