Korea Forest Service selects seasonal, nutrient-rich food to boost forestry income
Jujube, long regarded as a food that helps ward off aging — as captured in the old Korean saying "If you see a jujube and don't eat it, you'll grow old" — has been named the forest product of the month for October.
The Korea Forest Service announced Wednesday that it had selected jujube as this month's featured forest product, recognizing it as a nutritionally rich food at the peak of its season.
Jujube is an autumn forest product with a harvest season running from September through October. As the fruit ripens, its skin takes on a glossy sheen and a reddish-brown hue, and its sweetness deepens. Because a single tree bears an abundance of fruit, jujube has long symbolized prosperity and the flourishing of descendants, and it has been woven into Korean life for centuries — appearing in traditional wedding ceremonies and holiday ancestral rites alike.
Jujube is known to help reduce skin damage and slow skin aging. It also helps limit cell damage and inflammation, and supports gut health and improved blood lipid levels. It is also known to help protect neurons in the brain and maintain bone health.
Jujube has traditionally been eaten fresh, dried and brewed as tea, or added to dishes such as samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup) and yakshik (a sweet rice dish). More recently, fresh jujube has found its way into salads, while dried jujube is made into jujube chips to be eaten on their own or served alongside yogurt, and jujube paste is used in shaved ice desserts and lattes, among other preparations.
"Jujube is a quintessential autumn forest product with a sweet flavor and rich nutritional profile," said Lee Sang-ik, director general of the Korea Forest Service's Forest Industry Policy Bureau. "We hope people will enjoy our homegrown jujube in whatever way suits their taste. We will continue working to ensure that growing attention to our forest products translates into greater consumption and higher incomes for forestry workers."
kwonhl@heraldcorp.com
