Jujubes Are Set To Be 2018's Superfood (& They Actually Look Delicious)

Move over, matcha; step aside, spirulina; and get the heck out of the way, acai. There's a new so-called superfruit taking over Instagram that will no doubt find itself in kitchen cupboards across the land pretty soon.

Why? Because unlike many of the other superfoods, fruits and powders that have been and gone, it's good for you and tastes half decent – and there are already signs that it will take the UK by storm, the Standard reported.

The jujube fruit, also known as the red date, is a red-coloured berry that has been used in the Far East for thousands of years because of its benefits for both the body and mind.

It's an adaptogen (and thereby currently trendy in the wellness world), which means it can help the body adapt to stress and anxiety. It has also been used to treat insomnia and support energy levels. Nutritionally speaking, it's very good for us, too, as it's high in vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients (which can ward off disease), and contains 18 out of the 24 amino acids needed to form the 50,000 proteins in the human body.

The jujube is also thought to improve cholesterol, aid digestion and boost the immune system. One study, published in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology, even suggested it could be used in the treatment of breast cancer.

However, the fruit isn't a silver bullet to all our health woes. Like other types of date, it's worth enjoying the jujube in moderation because of its levels of complex carbohydrates which can play havoc with blood sugar levels, particularly for people with diabetes.

Another reason why the fruit is a winner? It's incredibly versatile. In the same way that medjool dates have been adopted by bakers as a natural sugar substitute, the jujube can be used in an impressive array of recipes. A casual scroll through Instagram shows them being used in dishes as varied – and drool worthy – as sweet sticky rice, mince pies and cupcakes.

It also can be eaten alone as a snack, sprinkled on top of your morning cereal, stirred into porridge, whisked into a smoothie, layered on nut-buttered toast and even used to make tea or added to soups.

Already, the fruit seems to be having an impact on the UK market, with healthy snack brand Abakus Foods having sold 200,000 bags of them in 2017 alone, the Standard reported. The brand sells the red date on its website in various delicious-looking forms, from jujube crisps (£1.99) to jujube stuff with various nuts (£1.99) and if you get the taste for it, you can even bulk-buy boxes for up to £40.

With Christmas around the corner, it seems like the perfect time to add a new sweet treat to our baking repertoire. Jujube Christmas pudding, anyone? Judging from Instagram, the possibilities are endless and we look forward to seeing what the most inventive food bloggers and Instagrammers come up with.