From The Food Encyclopedia by Jacques Rolland and Carol Sherman
1. a small, fruit-flavored candy with a gelatinous texture. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, they often contained cough medication. 2. a fruit, also misnamed "Chinese date" because it looks like one, with gleaming, reddish brown skin, crisp texture, the flavor of a mild, sweet apple and a large pit relative to the size of the fruit. China is credited for cultivating the fruit, even though it probably originated in Syria. Europeans eat them with honey, while the Chinese use them in pastries, preserves and mincemeat. Jujubes were brought to California, Texas and Mexico as part of the Spanish migration to the New World.
