Everything about Ume totally explained
Prunus mume, commonly known as or
Japanese apricot, is a species of
Asian
plum in the family
Rosaceae. The flower, long a beloved subject in the traditional painting of East Asia and Vietnam, is usually translated as
plum blossom.
The tree originates from
China, and was brought to
Japan and
Korea later. The tree is
cultivated for its
fruit and
flowers. Although generally referred to as a plum in the English language, it's actually more closely related to the
apricot.
The tree flowers in late winter, typically late January or
February in
East Asia, before the leaves appear. Each flower has five petals and is 1–3
cm in diameter. The flowers are typically white, though cultivars may have rose or deep red flowers. The leaves appear shortly after the petals fall. The leaves are oval, with a pointed tip. The fruit ripens in early summer, typically June in East Asia. The ripening of the fruit coincides with
Jiangnan's rainy season,
méiyǔ (literally "
ume rains"), read
baiu or
tsuyu in Japanese. Each fruit is round with a groove running from the stalk to the tip. The skin is green when unripe, and turns yellow, sometimes with a red blush, as it ripens. The flesh becomes yellow.
Names
In North America, the fruit and tree are generally known by the Japanese name,
ume. However, there are a number of other common names. These include
Japanese apricot,
Japanese plum (also used for
Prunus salicina and
Eriobotrya japonica), and
Chinese plum (also used for
Prunus salicina).
Mume is a largely obsolete name based on an older, alternative Japanese pronunciation—possibly the original—of "mme" (んめ), which was written "mume" (むめ). Sometimes names such as
ume plum and
umeboshi plum are also seen. For the tree and flower, names like
Japanese flowering apricot,
flowering plum, and
winter plum may be used, the latter specifically with regard to depiction of the flower in
Chinese painting.
In
Chinese it's called
méi or
méizi The
Japanese name is
ume (kanji: ; hiragana: ) while the
Korean name is
maesil (hangul: 매실; hanja: ). The Japanese and Korean terms derive from
Middle Chinese, in which the pronunciation is thought to have been
muəi.. The
Vietnamese name is
mai or
mơ (although
mai may also refer to a different plant,
Ochna integerrima, in the south of Vietnam).
Varieties
China
In China, there are over 300 recorded
cultivars of
mei, which can be broadly divided by colour into white, pink, red, purple, and light green types. Some varieties are especially famed for their ornamental value, including the
Dahong mei (大红梅; literally "big red mei"),
Taige mei (lit. "pavilion mei"),
Zhaoshui mei (lit. "reflecting water mei"),
Lü'e mei (lit. "green
calyx mei"),
Longyou mei (lit. "swimming dragon mei").
As the
mei can usually grow for a long time, ancient
mei trees are found throughout China.
Huangmei county (lit. "Yellow Mei") in
Hubei features a 1600-year-old
mei tree from the
Jin Dynasty which is still flowering.
Japan
In Japan,
ornamental ume
cultivars are classified into
yabai (lit. "wild ume") types,
hibai ("red ume") types, and
bungo ("
Bungo province") type. The
bungo trees are also grown for fruit and supposed to be hybrids between ume and apricot. The
hibai trees have red
heartwood and most of them have red flowers. The
yabai trees are also used as
grafting stock.
Uses
Culinary use
Juice
Ume juice is extracted by preserving the fruits in sugar. In China, sour plum juice
photo
is made from
smoked ume . It ranges from light pinkish orange to purplish black in color and often has a smoky and slightly salty taste. It is traditionally flavoured with
sweet osmanthus flowers, and is enjoyed chilled, usually in summer. The juice produced in Japan and Korea, made from green
ume, tastes sweet and tangy, and is considered a refreshing drink, also often enjoyed in the summer. In Korea,
maesil juice, which is marketed as a healthful tonic, is enjoying increasing popularity. It is commercially available in glass jars in sweetened, concentrated syrup form; it's reconstituted by stirring a small amount of syrup into a glass of water. The syrup may also be prepared at home by storing one part fresh
maesil in a container with one part sugar (but no water).
Liquor
Ume liquor, also known as "plum wine", is popular in both Japan and Korea, and is also produced in China.
(External Link) Umeshu (梅酒, sometimes translated as "plum wine") is a Japanese alcoholic drink made by steeping green
ume in
shōchū (燒酎, clear
liquor).
photo It is sweet and smooth. The taste and aroma of
umeshu can appeal to even those people who normally dislike
alcohol. A similar liquor in Korea, called
maesil ju (매실주), is marketed under various brand names including Mae Hwa Su, Mae Chui Soon, and Seol Joong Mae. Both the Japanese and Korean varieties of
ume liquor are available with whole
ume fruits contained in the bottle.
photo
In China,
ume wine is called
mei jiu (梅酒).
In
Taiwan, a popular post-
World War II innovation on Japanese-style
umeshu is the
wumeijiu, or
Wumei liquor (烏梅酒), which is made by mixing
Prunus mume liquor (梅酒 méijǐu),
Prunus salicina liquor (李酒 lǐjǐu), and
Oolong tea liquor.
Pickled and preserved ume
Umeboshi, or pickled
ume, are a Japanese specialty. Flavoured with salt and purple
shiso (perilla) leaves, they're red in color and quite salty and sour, and therefore eaten sparingly.
Umeboshi are generally eaten with
rice as part of a
bento, although they may also be used in
makizushi.
Makizushi made with
ume may be made with either
umeboshi or
umeboshi paste, often in conjunction with green
shiso leaves. A by-product of
umeboshi production is
umeboshi vinegar, a salty, sour condiment. In Chinese cuisine,
ume that are pickled with vinegar and salt are called
suān méizi (; literally "sour mei fruits"), and have a similar intensely sour and salty flavor as
umeboshi.
Huamei, or Chinese preserved plum, refers to any of a large number of Chinese foods involving plums pickled in sugar, salt, and herbs such as
licorice.
photo There are two general varieties: a dried variety, and a wet (pickled) variety.
In
Vietnam, a very similar variety of pickled ume is called
xí muội or
ô mai.
photo
Sauce
A thick, sweet Chinese sauce called
mei jiang or
meizi jiang (梅子醬), usually translated as "
plum sauce,"
photo is also made from
ume, along with other ingredients such as sugar, vinegar, salt, ginger, chili, and garlic. Similar to
duck sauce, it's used as a
condiment for various Chinese dishes, including poultry dishes and
egg rolls.
Medicinal use
In
traditional Chinese medicine, the smoked fruits, called
wumei, are used for medicinal purposes. They are generally black in color and are believed to be effective against
parasites, as well as in stopping
ulcers and promoting a strong digestive system and heart.
Cultural significance
Ume flowers have been well loved and celebrated in China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, and Vietnam.
China and Taiwan
In China, they're most commonly used as decoration during the
Chinese New Year. The blossoms are common subjects in Chinese art and are among the most beloved of Chinese flowers. Unlike the Japanese, however, the Chinese see the blossoms as more of a symbol for winter rather than a harbinger of spring. It is precisely for this reason that the blossoms are so beloved, because they bloom most vibrantly amidst the winter snow, after other plants have shed their leaves, and before any other flowers appear. Thus, they're seen as an example of resilience and perseverance in the face of adversity, and have also been used as a metaphor to symbolize revolutionary struggle. Because they blossom in winter, the
ume (often translated as "plum blossom"), the
pine, and the
bamboo together have been called the "Three Friends of the Cold" .
Apart from that, the blossom is one of the
Four Gentlemen in Chinese art (the others being
orchid,
chrysanthemum, and bamboo), symbolizing nobility. These are also the four flowers that appear on
mahjong tile sets, where
mei is usually simply translated as "plum" in English.
The blossom has long been a floral symbol of the ancient Chinese city of
Nanjing. In
1964, the
Executive Yuan of the
Republic of China (which has retreated to
Taiwan since
1949) adopted the five-petaled plum blossom ("
Prunus mei") as the
national flower of the Republic of China.. It also serves as the logo of
China Airlines, the national carrier of the Republic of China. The flower features prominently on the
currency and other
national symbols. In
mainland China, the flower also features on
currency and other important symbols.
Japan
Ume blossoms are often mentioned in
Japanese poetry as a symbol of spring. When used in
haiku or
renga, they're a
kigo or season word for early spring. The blossoms are associated with the
Japanese Bush Warbler, and they're depicted together as one of the twelve
suits on
hanafuda (Japanese playing cards). During the
Nara period (
8th century), the blossom of the
ume tree was preferred over the
sakura (cherry) blossom, which became popular after the
Heian period (794-1185).
Japanese tradition holds that the
Ume functions as a protective charm against evil. For this reason, the
Ume is traditionally planted in the north-east of the garden, the direction from which evil is believed to come.
The eating of the pickled fruit for breakfast is also supposed to stave off misfortune.
Vietnam
In
Vietnam, due to the beauty of the tree and its flowers, the word
mai is used to name girls. In
Confucianism,
mai is named in the group of
four "elite" plants:
lan (orchid),
cúc (chrysanthemum),
trúc (bamboo), and
mai. The largest hospital in Hanoi is named
Bach Mai ("white
ume"), another hospital in Hanoi is named
Mai Huong ("the scent of
ume"), situated in
Hong Mai ("pink
ume") street.
Hoang Mai ("yellow
ume") is the name of a district in
Hanoi.
Bach Mai is also a long and old street in Hanoi. All these places are located in the south part of Hanoi, where, in the past, many
ume were grown.
Due to its characteristics, beautiful flowers and a tall, slender tree,
mai is used to describe the beauty of women in expressions such as "Mình hạc xương mai" - crane's body, ume's bone, and "Gầy như mai" - as slender as an
ume.
Hồ Quý Ly wooed and won Princess Nhất Chi Mai of the Trần king after seeing a parallel couplet:
» Thanh Thử điện tiền thiên thụ quế
Quảng Hàn cung lý Nhất Chi Mai.
meaning: Thanh Thử palace, thousands of cinnamon trees here
Quảng Hàn palace, Nhất Chi Mai there".
Nhất Chi Mai is the name of the princess, but also means a branch of
mai, implying a beautiful girl.
The
Zen monk [Thiềnsư Mãn Giác]] monk composed a poem "Cáo tật thị chúng" (meaning: Report of my illness).
» Xuân khứ bách hoa lạc Spring goes, hundreds of flower fall
Xuân đáo bách hoa khai Spring comes, hundreds of flowers blossom.
» Sự trục nhãn tiền qúa In front of the eyes, everything goes on ever
Lão tùng đầu thượng lai On the heads, showing the year of age soon comes.
» Mạc vị xuân tàn hoa lạc tận Who can say when spring ends, all flowers fall down?
Đình tiền tạc dạ nhất chi mai Last night, in front-yard, a branch of ume flower blossomed.
In this poem,
nhất chi mai serves as a metaphor for
hope (similarly to the last leaf in the short story "
The Last Leaf" by
O. Henry).
The
mai used to celebrate the new year in the south, similar to the
peach in the north, is in fact a different plant from the
ume (
Ochna integerrima).
Further Information
Get more info on 'Ume'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://ume.totallyexplained.com">Ume Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
