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Prunus mume, commonly known as or Japanese apricot, or Chinese plum 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 is 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.
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Prunus mume, commonly known as or Japanese apricot, or Chinese plum 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 is 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 have coloring ranging from white to rose to deep red. 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 the rainy season of China and Japan, méiyu (??, 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
The plant is known by a number of different names in English. Arguably the most widely accepted is Japanese apricot. Other variants include Japanese plum and Chinese plum (both names also used for Prunus salicina). An alternative name is ume, from the Japanese name, or mume, from the scientific name, also ultimately based on an older, alternative Japanese pronunciation—possibly the original—of "mme", which was written "mume". Another alternative is mei, from the Chinese name, which is usually seen in the context of Chinese art and cuisine, and imports from Chinese-speaking regions.
Sometimes names such as ume plum and umeboshi plum (the latter referring to Japanese pickled ume) 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 is called méi or méizi The Japanese name is ume (kanji: ?; hiragana: ??) while the Korean name is maesil (hangul: ??; hanja: ??). The Japanese and Korean terms derive from Middle Chinese, in which the pronunciation is thought to have been mu?i.. The Vietnamese name is mai or mo (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 (???; 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 (wild), hibai (red ), and bungo ("Bungo province") types. 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
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Ume juice is extracted by preserving the fruits in sugar. In China, sour plum juice 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 is 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. Umeshu (??, sometimes translated as "plum wine") is a Japanese alcoholic drink made by steeping green ume in shochu (??, clear liquor). 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, 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.
In China, ume wine is called mei jiu.
In Taiwan, a popular post-World War II innovation on Japanese-style umeshu is the wumeijiu, or Wumei liquor, which is made by mixing Prunus mume liquor (?? méijiu), Prunus salicina liquor (?? lijiu), 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 are red in color and quite salty and sour, and therefore eaten sparingly. Ume used for making Umeboshi are harvested in late May or early June, while they are still green, and layered with salt. They are weighed down with a heavy stone (or some more modern implement) until late August. They are then dried in the sun on bamboo mats for several days (they are returned to the salt at night). The flavonoid pigment in shiso leaves gives them their distinctive color and a richer flavor. Umeboshi are generally eaten with rice as part of a bento, although they may also be used in makizushi. Umeboshi are also used as a popular filling for Onigiri, a rice ball wrapped in nori. 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 suan 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. 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 mu?i or ô mai.
Sauce
A thick, sweet Chinese sauce called mei jiang or meizi jiang, usually translated as "plum sauce," is also made from ume, along with other ingredients such as sugar, vinegar, salt, ginger, chili, and garlic. Similar to duck sauce, it is 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 mainland China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, and Vietnam.
Mainland China
One of the most beloved flowers in China, the plum blossoms are frequently depicted in Chinese art and poetry for centuries. The Chinese sees its blossoms as both as a symbol of winter as well as a harbinger of spring. It is precisely for this reason that the blossoms are so beloved, as they bloom most vibrantly amidst the winter snow, after most other plants have shed their leaves, and before other flowers appear. They are seen as an example of resilience and perseverance in the face of adversity, and more recently have also been used as a metaphor to symbolize revolutionary struggle since the turn of the 20th Century. Because they blossom in winter, the plum blossom is a member of "Three Friends of the Cold", along with pine, and bamboo. The plum blossom is also a member of Four Gentlemen of Flowers in Chinese art (the others being orchid, chrysanthemum, and bamboo), symbolizing nobility.
In Mainland China, they are often used as decoration during the Chinese New Year. The plum blossoms are also one of the four flowers that appear on mahjong tile sets, where mei is usually simply translated as "plum" in English.
Taiwan
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In 1964, the Executive Yuan 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.
Japan
Ume blossoms are often mentioned in Japanese poetry as a symbol of spring. When used in haiku or renga, they are a kigo or season word for early spring. The blossoms are associated with the Japanese Bush Warbler, and they are 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 Gentlemen (???) : lan (orchid), cúc (chrysanthemum), trúc (bamboo), and mai. The largest hospital in Hanoi is named Bach Mai ("white plum blossom"), another hospital in Hanoi is named Mai Huong ("the scent of plum"), situated in Hong Mai ("pink plum blossom'") street. Hoang Mai ("yellow plum blossom") 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 Prunus mume 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 h?c xuong mai" - crane's body, plum's bones, and "G?y nhu mai" - as slender as a plum tree.
H? Quý Ly wooed and won Princess Nh?t Chi Mai of the Tr?n king after seeing a parallel couplet:
- Thanh Th? di?n ti?n thiên th? qu?
- Qu?ng Hàn cung lý Nh?t Chi Mai.
meaning: Thanh Th? palace, thousands of cinnamon trees here
Qu?ng Hàn palace, Nh?t Chi Mai there".
Nh?t Chi Mai is the name of the princess, but also means a branch of mai, implying a beautiful girl.
The Zen monk Thi?n su Mãn Giác monk composed a poem "Cáo t?t th? chúng" (meaning: Report of my illness).
- Xuân kh? bách hoa l?c Spring goes, hundreds of flower fall
- Xuân dáo bách hoa khai Spring comes, hundreds of flowers blossom.
- S? tr?c nhãn ti?n qúa In front of the eyes, everything goes on ever
- Lão tùng d?u thu?ng lai On the heads, showing the year of age soon comes.
- M?c v? xuân tàn hoa l?c t?n Who can say when spring ends, all flowers fall down?
- Ðình ti?n t?c d? nh?t chi mai Last night, in front-yard, a branch of plum flower blossomed.
In this poem, nh?t 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 Prunus mume (Ochna integerrima).
See also
External links
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