Juju-what?
A jujube. They’re like the dates cousin. They’re a soft, sweet fruit that originated from Asia. One difference I’ve noticed is that they’re not as sticky as other dried fruit which is actually a nice surprise because then you’re not scraping them off your teeth for an hour afterwards.

Abakus Jujube snack review Desserts Health

Benefits
The jujube fruit is a rich source of Vit C and also contains small amounts of manganese, calcium and iron. It’s also packed with fibre, antioxidants and flavonoids such as quercetin and epicatechin (also found in green tea). Therefore they have traditionally been used to help keep a healthy immune system, provide energy and maintain a healthy digestive system, some compounds in the jujube can have a mild sedative action which explains why they’re also used as a night time tea.
These snacks have no added sugar, no chemical additives, are gluten and dairy-free, paleo, sulphite-free, and suitable for vegetarians and vegans.

Abakus Jujube snack review Desserts Health

The snacks
The cashew stuffed jujubes make a great on the go snack with the beneficial fats from the cashews balancing out the sweetness of the jujubes and both containing wholefood fibre meaning slow release energy and helping with a healthy gut. You can purchase walnut and almond stuffed versions too.

Abakus Jujube snack review Desserts Health

I like to mix it up sometimes by using seed butters rather than nut butters all the time, however, seed butters tend to have a much stronger, earthy flavour that not many can handle, so I recommend pairing them with some sweet fruit like the dried jujube which helps mask the flavour, simply tear open the jujube and spoon in your filling of choice.

Abakus Jujube snack review Desserts Health

Another option (and my favourite) are the jujube crisps, these are made from chopping the fruit into small rings then freeze drying them to preserve their nutrients. These are honestly one of the best I’ve ever tasted when it comes to dried fruit/veg crisps, I’ve tried many different kinds and I reeeally loved these ones because they ARE crisp, not tough and chewy which most usually are and makes you feel like you might end up pulling out a filling!
They smell lovely and would make a great addition to natural yogurt with some seeds and cinnamon to add crunch to your breakfast. Abakus also sell them in sprinkle form which makes an easy addition to yogurt/baked treats. They’d also be a great way to get some goodness into fussy eaters.

Abakus Jujube snack review Desserts Health

Abakus Jujube snack review Desserts Health

Where to buy: For those in Ireland, you can get these snacks at Avoca and for everyone else you can get them at Revital, Grapetree and Wholefoods now or Ocado from September or online from www.abakusfoods.com
RRP is £1.99 per bag.