What does it mean to go into jujube broth? But above all, what is it?

Going full of jujubes is a recurring expression but few people know what it really is and what the origin of the saying is.

When we talk about jujube broth it is impossible not to think of a savory preparation, in the wake of the various broths used in cooking. In reality there is nothing more wrong since this broth is a hydroalcoholic infusion , i.e. with an average alcohol content, obtained from jujubes and other autumn fruits.

Jujubes, in fact, are a typical autumn fruit which, together with grapes, quinces and white wine, are used to prepare this pure flavor distillate. The limited diffusion of jujube broth is due to the fact that there are few areas in Italy favorable to its cultivation, all concentrated in the surroundings of Padua on the Euganean Hills .

How to prepare jujube broth

Although this broth is practically a jujube liqueur, its preparation is very different from that of a traditional liqueur: Let's see it together!

1. First, wash all the fruit under running water, removing any damaged fruit.
2. Transfer the jujubes , grapes , sugar and water to a large pan and leave to cook over a low heat with the lid on for an hour.
3. In the meantime, cut the quinces into pieces and remove the peel from the lemons using a potato peeler so as not to remove the white part.
4. Add the apples, lemon zest and wine to the pan and raise the heat to high.
5. When you no longer smell alcohol rising from the pan, turn off the flame .
6. Filter the mixture through a colander covered with gauze and leave it to drain overnight, covering it with a lid.
7. The following day, transfer it into sterilized, airtight jars.
8. Your alcoholic infusion is ready to be enjoyed at the end of the meal together with a homemade dessert.

If you are lucky enough to come across this ancient fruit we recommend you also make a delicious jujube jam . It is excellent for breakfast, spread on bread, or used to fill tarts with a rustic flavour.

Conservation

Jujube broth can be stored for a long time in a cool, dry place, like any liqueur.

Going into jujube broth: meaning

The jujube broth is then at the center of a famous saying, that is, "going in jujube broth" in reference to someone in a state of extreme contentment and joy. The reason is to be found in the sweet, alcoholic and particularly pleasant flavor of this distillate. This saying was inserted for the first time in 1612 by the Accademia della Crusca in an ancient vocabulary of the Italian language, created with the aim of enhancing the superiority of Florentine over the other dialects of the peninsula.

Origin and history

If the saying dates back to the 1600s, the history of jujube broth, on the contrary, must be sought much further back. The first jujube-based liqueurs were already appreciated at the time of the Egyptians and Phoenicians . Traces of it can also be found written in Herodotus's "Histories" and some historians maintain that the lotus mentioned in Homer's Odyssey is actually a wild variety of the jujube.

As the years pass, the plant does not lose its importance: for the Romans it is a symbol of silence and they use it to decorate the temples dedicated to the goddess Prudence. In the countryside, however, farmers considered it a good luck plant.

However, it was in the Renaissance era, thanks to the Gonzaga family , that jujube broth became more widespread. The noble family had land overlooking Lake Garda, a place particularly suitable for the growth of the plant. He then began to produce this distillate which he then served to his guests as a digestive or together with dry biscuits and sweets of various types.

Today, Arquà Petrarca is famous for its jujube broth, produced by the Scarpon company, as well as for the festival of the same name which is held every year in Autumn.

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Jujube liqueur