28 Foods You Must Eat for Insomnia - Optimal Nutrition 07

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Publish Date: 2006-08-01
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Introduction Jujube, also known as red date, dried date, beautiful date, and fine date, is the ripe fruit of the Ziziphus jujuba plant in the Rhamnaceae family. China has a cultivation history of over 3,000 years. Jujubes can be eaten fresh, dried in the sun, or dried through hot air. They are harvested in early autumn when ripe and dried in the sun for fresh use.
Historical Legends The production of honey dates has a history of over 400 years. It is said that during the Jiajing era of the Ming Dynasty, Zhang Mao, a scholar from Lanxi County, served as the Minister of Rites in the imperial court. He noticed that the large green jujubes from his hometown were fresh, sweet, and fragrant, so he selected some top-quality fresh jujubes to present to Emperor Shizong in the capital. The emperor was highly pleased with them and repeatedly praised, "Good dates, good dates, they are worth eating often." However, fresh jujubes are not easy to store for long periods. Therefore, Zhang Mao wrote to his hometown, asking the local jujube farmers for advice.
Later, a jujube farmer cut several grooves into the fresh green jujubes, then mixed them with honey made from bees collecting jujube flower nectar. The mixture was cooked together to make honey dates, which were dried and packed into boxes before being sent to the capital. Upon receiving them, Zhang Mao quickly presented them to Emperor Shizong. When the emperor opened the box, a fragrant aroma filled the air. He took one and tasted it, finding it sweet and nourishing to the lungs. From then on, the production technique of honey dates spread widely.
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