JAPANESE RAISIN TREE - This fruit is so strange that it isn't even a fruit...

[@WeirdExplorer]

here is another fruit that isn't a fruit that you may enjoy. Cashew apple review: kzbin.info/www/bejne/p2nCqmmijdh7ask

[@YunxiaoChu]

Strawberries are also a not-quite-fruit

[@YunxiaoChu]

Huh Interesting you say it tastes like apple and strawberry as they, much like the raisin tree are “accessory fruits” meaning that non-fruit parts of the plant are modified to be fruit like in appearance and function

[@scibear9944]

If the peduncle is swollen with sugars and flavors, we can call it an "accessory fruit." It serves the function of a fruit (to entice animals to eat it and the nearby true fruits, and spread the seeds) without actually being a fruit. Strawberries and cashews have similar accessory fruits.

[@KeithYipKW]

The stem tastes like fruit and the fruit tastes like the stem. Thanks, evolution.

[@isaacthedestroyerofstuped7676]

Darwn: If it works, it works. I don't know what to tell ya

[@valterzc8187]

We call it japan grape here in Brazil, where it became extremely invasive species. It is so widespread that the wildlife adapted to it and now they are already dependent of this plant, as it fruits in late autumn, when there is very little food options for them.

[@YunxiaoChu]

Wow

[@ML7WL]

Sabia disso não, qual região?

[@valterzc8187]

@@ML7WL aqui no sul, principalmente no Paraná

[@noob19087]

Juniper berries aren't fruit either, they're cones apparently. Meanwhile fennel seeds technically are fruit.

[@cam2351]

That's why Gin tastes like pinecone.

[@GTIFabric]

Mmmmm fennel

[@noob19087]

@@GTIFabric Cumin is a fruit too, and so are mustard seeds. Technically spiced pickles could be classified as a fruit salad.

[@erie3936]

​@@cam2351an, I sure love my liquid christmas trees.

[@lejardinierjardine8518]

@@noob19087 I love this 😄

[@joeyjoejoejrshabadu]

The anti sweet property is interesting. Please do an episode where you eat a miracle berry and raisin tree leaf extract at the same time to see if lemons still taste sweet

[@WolvenCrest]

Good idea. If it's miracle berry but for sweet flavor I don't know what it would taste like (maybe tasteless) but definitely worth trying.

[@JHaven-lg7lj]

It would be interesting to try it alongside artichoke, too, since when you eat artichokes things taste sweeter

[@flawed1]

I legit thought he was about to say “ I don’t normally……. Drink, but let’s get hammered” (to test the hangover care) 😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂

[@brucetidwell7715]

Now that would be comitment to the cause😆

[@applegal3058]

I did too lol

[@justsul1337]

I thought this as well lmao im drunk pls semt to me

[@Shanask487]

In chinese it is called guaizao, meaning crooked date, or crooked jujube. They are related to jujube.

[@wesleytownsend8214]

“It might not look like it but I am not hungover”. This from a gentleman that doesn’t drink at all. lol Thank you for the fantastic content as always! I wish the very best of prosperity, good health and happiness to you all and to your families!

[@westleah5000]

This is an invasive plant in Southern Brazil. The native parakeets love their seeds, and the cows really love their sweet fruits. It's said that it is possible to make vinegar from this fruit.

[@gregregregregregregre]

He said "let's go to Korea for a minute" like he was just going to go for a walk at his backyard lol

[@AviSan807]

Hi Thanks for the vid. I'm growing this tree for 20-30 years Closet tast is some between Date and Carobs , Sweet It is a big tree But no need to pic it After the second rain all frouits are falling down , it can be dry for preserv Cheers

[@Zsy6]

I'm so glad you're finally doing this one!! I've been kind of obsessed with this species for a few years now. It's an interesting tree because it can grow all the way from New York south to the Brazillian rainforest (where it is invasive!). The Korean subspecies is a shorter tree that comes into bearing sooner. The biggest one I've seen in the US is an ancient specimen in Highland Park, Rochester NY which is definitely worth visiting. The "fruits" can be astringent before fully ripe and are much tastier dried.

[@sashwap]

yep, that’s where i picked the ones i sent to jared! the branches used to hang down to ground, but they trimmed them back substantially, making most of the fruit inaccessible.

[@az55544]

@@sashwapwhen are they ripe in your area?

[@sashwap]

@@az55544 no, they are ripe in fall, like october/november

[@Zsy6]

​@@sashwap love that tree! I got to visit it when I went up to Rochester to see the eclipse. I collected some seeds to grow my own!

[@sashwap]

@@Zsy6 nice! that’s also where i got the date-plums that i sent to jared. there’s some other weird stuff there too.

[@nikolademitri731]

I feel like it’s not appropriate, but a guy I “dated” in college called his member his “peduncle”… Naturally, I’d never heard anyone even use that term, so when I asked wtf that even meant, he said it was a medical term for fleshy stalks of tissue in the body, and I just took it as him being a weirdo biology major (he was). Hearing you call it a “swollen/fleshy stem”, well, it makes a lot more sense to me now. Again, probably a TMI comment, but I’ve not heard anyone call anything else a “peduncle” before, and I felt almost obligated to comment on it.. 😅🙏✌️

[@Dexplay]

😅😅😅😅😅

[@lagomoof]

Went to look on a certain auction site to see if any of this stuff was for sale. It is. And it's really popular right now for some reason. Weird Explorer's reach knows no bounds.

[@nensondubois]

Definitely interesting. The fruity stem part can be also dried and ground up as a spice and used for cooking.

[@RolloTonéBrownTown]

Right on

[@S4NSE]

the way you explain the flavour is genius and I'm happy you optimized that, I never thought about it (even tho it's obvious) but it's probably one of the most important aspects of a tasting video

[@cam2351]

Your channel is so high quality and consistant, I don't know how you're not 1,000 times more popular. I found your channel nerding out about bananas years ago, so it feels important to mention that the stem the banana fruit grows from is called a Peduncle as well.

[@kim0307b]

In Korea, it is called “Heotgae.” It is also mentioned in old medical books from medieval Korea. It is very helpful in relieving hangovers after drinking alcohol, and even now, Koreans drink tea made from this fruit while drinking to help them wake up very refreshed the next day. The taste of Heotgae-Tea is similar to crispy overcooked rice

[@rinconcurioso]

Here in Uruguay, Hovenia dulcis trees line many streets in the capital city, Montevideo. People are unaware that their stems are edible. At this time of year, the stems accumulate on the sidewalks.

[@KevinFeeley_KHF]

Might help with the decoction (hot water steeping) if you first macerate the peduncles prior to adding the hot water. Increase surface area and expose some of that inner flesh to the water. A pinch of salt might also aid in the transport of the flavor compounds into solution.

[@mariiris1403]

Yes, that's what I thought of too.

[@WeirdExplorer]

good idea

[@richardbidinger2577]

I have to wonder what animal evolved alongside this that ate that tree. I also wonder if eating the stems and berries together changes the taste. Maybe mash the stems slightly to get a bit more flavor out of it when you brew the tea.

[@WesNishi]

This fruit/tree isnt well known among most Japanese. There was actually an episode of a famous show in Japan called Tantei Night Scoop where viewers ask for help answering random questions. A woman wrote into the show asking help to identify this fruit. This woman during her childhood, her mother left the family and her father was abusive. She ran into the mountains and lived in a tent for a while where she came accross this fruit and this fruIt was what made her happy as a child as it was the only sweet thing she could.find to eat. But she couldnt remember what it was called so the show helped her figure it out. I always wanted to try it because of that episode, so the fact you spat it out at the start made me laugh and cry a bit because in reality, the fruit doesnt taste that good.

[@Difficult1427]

I love eating while watching your videos, it always makes my appetite skyrocket. I was just about to eat, and a new video pops up!😋😛😋

[@YunxiaoChu]

😊

[@RolloTonéBrownTown]

Mmm cough medicine

[@P0SSPWRD]

These are great, been growing them for years now. The only issue with them is that June Bugs will go after the tree leaves like crazy, you really have to protect the young trees

[@isaacthedestroyerofstuped7676]

Tastes like raisins, apples, strawberries, or bread depending on how you take it 😂 I've been wanting to get this plant, as it should be able to grow in zone 6 and 7

[@koushuu]

Seeing a new notification from you always makes my day

[@victoriafisher6934]

What happened to your beautiful CURLY HAIR?????

[@toericabaker]

omg these look so fiddly and fun to eat !! no wonder we need fidget toys these days. you used to have to work for every calorie dang!

[@horsefeathers2391]

I'm about to have some accessory fruits from a dry fruit myself, yay strawberry time! Also, technically bread it is a fruit product

[@achannel1818]

Sometimes I chew on an apple stalk. Sometimes they're not shrivelled and dry and have slight sweetness. I image this may be somewhat similar.

[@yonahborns-weil5136]

That's interesting, I really like the Lotte hovenia tea. I always said it tastes like boba pearls, and my mom said it tasted like pandan. Everyone else I talked to said something different.

[@goiterlanternbase]

I imagine mammoths and such megafauna, loved this.

[@RedXiongmao]

From the color and odd shape in the thumbnail, I really thought this was going to be some kind of gall and the story was gonna be about how it's inedibly tannic but people used it as a tea substitute or to make ink like with oak galls

[@injunsun]

@WeirdExplorer, when you made the tea, why did you not macerate the bits? You threw in whole parts, and then were surprised the tea was so clear. Is it not right to try crushing the stuff up first?

[@stefansauvageonwhat-a-twis1369]

cool video as usual (just at the end of the video I remember where I knew this music from, pitch meetings ending 1:00)

[@mandab.3180]

wow pretty cool. I'd definitely try this if i found it anywhere.

[@mrminer071166]

Jared at his best with weird fruits & weird flavors!!!

[@FishareFriendsNotFood972]

I trust anything a Korean would say about hangover cures, they know drinking culture, lol

[@costa_marco]

It grows well in Brasil also. We call it japanese grapes.

[@MaoRatto]

xD Kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk

[@whorurlly]

Nice! I was wondering when you'd review this one because as a Korean I have known about it for a while. The raisin tree drink is everywhere like you showed, but I bet most of us Koreans don't even know it's an edible fruit-stem lol.

[@joycemonty4262]

Yes, you should brew it. Boil the stem/bark for at least 10 mins or steep it for an hour or more.

[@albucc]

It grows in the park just outside my house, in the region of Campinas city, São Paulo , Brazil. So, it grows in tropical areas as well. But it gets into raisin state very fast.

[@andrewdunbar828]

The hangover cure I learned in Korea years ago was Budajiggae, a spicy stew with everything in it, featuring lots of spam and hotdog sausage if I recall correctly.

[@Astarall]

can't stop being distracted by the midnight special rendition in the background

[@RolloTonéBrownTown]

Like the TV show right?

[@ramomen8611]

we have lots of these here in brazil

[@Ultracity6060]

Oh wow, is this the inspiration for Sudowoodo?

[@RyanEglitis]

Surprised you didn't smash up the stems to make tea. Normal tea works because the surface area of leaves is quite high compared to the volume, allowing for a good extraction. Branches are nearly all volume, minimal surface area. I also expect the high temp of boiling water is pulling more tannins and other compounds than you'd get at lower temps.

[@ODR96]

I wonder what it would taste like fermented? If it has a raisin-like flavour profile, it might taste a bit like brandy.

[@hazeraforth4449]

Can the tree be tapped like maple or birch and get a good drink/syrup as well?

[@shannabolser9428]

Somebody with this tree needs to answer this question! We gotta know

[@boodashaka2841]

I keep seeing these in garden departments of big hardware stores. Might have to buy one now

[@ramkitty]

Perhaps a muddling on the stems prior to the first flush extract would retain more strawberry water taste

[@StuffandThings_]

So there's anti sweet compounds, and miracle berry which removes sourness... is it possible to make a cocktail that completely eliminates taste?

[@Benni-rp9or]

Looks like early AI tried to make some grapes

[@censusgary]

It seems to me that if you combine the flavors of apple cider, cherry, and prune, you’ll get something that tastes a lot like raisins. I guess that’s why they call it the raisin tree. 14:05

[@entropic-decay]

I imagine the reason it's adapted to have the stem be tasty rather than the fruit itself is to reduce the chances that the seeds get chewed up.

[@luckyphil45]

I've just got my seedlings to germinate for this!

[@AlexandrosV88]

Now THAT is interesting! How about macerating the stems before steeping to keep more of that gentle strawberry flavor with just a bit more potency?

[@yanj111]

it is super sweet, and I love it!

[@pattheplanter]

You didn't try the cooked peduncles after making a tea?

[@ろろろろろろろろろ]

You should try a fruit called "ลูกอัมพวา". It is a fruit that only has a Thai name. Last year I was in Thailand and I tried this fruit.

[@austintrees]

I have two varieties of this... Good to know what it's for

[@elizabethmcglothlin5406]

Maybe macerate the fleshy bit before pouring the water over it.

[@juliebiggerbear7300]

12:56 And now I am sitting here, contemplating finding out how this would work as a fermentable. 😊

[@tissuepaper9962]

It might not work so well as a hangover cure after fermentation, lol.

[@Revonish]

You should try some of the fruits from southern Africa. Try Strychnos cocculoides (rough-barked monkey orange), pulp around seeds very tasty (DO NOT SWALLOW THE SEEDS THEY MAY CONTAIN STRYCHNINE!!!!). Marama bean (Tylosema esculentum; T. fassoglensis) is also , apparently tasty - can be popped and tastes like a superior form of popcorn.

[@tktyga77]

You were referencing gurmar, right?

[@luzellepampola5862]

Do you have a video on salt tree fruit?

[@Pink7omy]

I was this year old today when I learned about the Raisin Tree. Where did you get this from ?

[@Lavindil23]

A very invasive plant in southern Brazil.

[@林志誠-q7h]

Hovenia dulcis, Native to : China North-Central, China South-Central, China Southeast, Japan, Korea,

[@notmyworld44]

This reminds me awfully much of the structure of the cashew fruit with the nut on its extreme end.

[@tissuepaper9962]

the "cashew apple" is another example of an accessory fruit.

[@yfrontsguy]

Fascinating! I used to have a small tree of this but it never got fruit and died after a few years. I feel like I should plant another one some day. Thanks for the review.

[@ryanatkinson2978]

Your videos are always raisin my spirits

[@Skitdora2010]

I planted this because I wanted to try it but it didn't take.

[@RatBstrd1]

Had this a few years ago from this exotic fruit nursery. It was weirdly delicious but your thrown for a loop cause you eat the while thing.

[@samscatsandcrochet]

I saw a drink with this that called itself man tea. I feel like I should try it, even though I'm not the intended demographic.

[@erutuon]

Pretty weird fruity part. From what I can tell as an amateur botanist, the swollen stem parts are actually called rachises (singular rachis), whereas the peduncle is the part they attach to and that you are holding onto in the thumbnail, and the tiny thin stems between the thick edible part and the woody ball fruits are pedicels. I had to look up the terms for stems in a branching flower or fruit cluster, so I could be wrong. There are lots of terms for kinds of stems in botany and I don't remember them all even though I'm good at identifying many of the plants that grow in my local area. 🤷🏻‍♂️ Edible rachis is a new concept for me. If I'd seen the fruit cluster in the wild, I'd have thought it was diseased. Chokecherries have a fungal disease that makes their branches (much bigger than the raisin tree fruits) develop a similar "burnt marshmallow" type of swelling.

[@Yubin_Lee_Doramelin]

I'm from Korea, and have drunk "raisin tree" beverage because of my father - he loves drinking alcohol and my mother used to brew "raisin tree tea" to reduce hangover symptoms. It tastes quite bitter: kind of like raw wood and traditional medicine that I've drunk before... P.S. I don't drink alcohol (I should say "can't").

[@victoriafisher6934]

We need a picture of THE TREE,

[@StuffandThings_]

I wonder if this could be considered a form of edible wood almost?

[@XxPushoverxX]

Does anyone know what evolutionary pressure resulted in the fleshy peduncles and not fleshy fruit? This is so fascinating

[@kuubbee]

This is probably the most interesting and weirdest “fruit” I’ve ever seen.

[@matthewkowalski2164]

JARED COLLAB WITH GREG HOW TO DRINK JARED COLLAB WITH GREG HOW TO DRINK JARED COLLAB WITH GREG HOW TO DRINK JARED COLLAB WITH GREG HOW TO DRINK

[@JAIPOD100]

It’s the Elden ring madness fruit

[@samk522]

Ah, you're right! I was thinking rowa raisins, but it does look a bit more like eye of yelough.

[@juergendallmann7768]

hmm, iv eaten that from the tree, if not the same, a very close species, at the very south of brasil, tho im not sure if its native from there

[@blackletter2591]

"Like cucumber water or better" 😂😂😂😂😂

[@zippitydoodah451]

I bought that drink from H Mart without realizing it was a ?hangover cure?. I didn't have an unpleasant feeling about it but thought it was subtle and nice

[@Nanamowa]

I wish more fruits were considerate enough to put the seeds on the outside so we can enjoy the fruit and plant the seeds.

[@DanielSPark-by6cm]

OMG YOU VISITED SEOUL RECENTLY??!!

[@LoveAllLight369]

I think your a 10 out of 10 ❤

[@RoseNZieg]

I wonder if the stem could be used as a spice?

[@samk522]

Can't fool me, those are rowa raisins. Torrent's eating good tonight, boys.

[@Klajv]

The Japanese name for it basically translates to Hermit's Pear, so it tasting like apples checks out. Close enough!

[@MatthewSmestad]

Cool plant. What is this zoned for? I'm zone 4

[@tissuepaper9962]

extremely broad range. it grows in New York (where these particular examples came from), and extends all the way down to Brazil where it is invasive. So basically anywhere between the equator and 50° latitude should be survivable.

[@gBaldaconi]

I ALWAYS said this thing tastes like super ripe apple, thank you for showing it

[@WeirdExplorer]

You bet!

[@TuppyMSM]

Literally have this outside my house lmao

[@jguitar23]

Appreciating the lazy afternoon 70's suburban lounge music as well as the odd twig with bland bobbles exploration.

[@FaZePoopCheetah]

I have a peduncle too, but hes not allowed near kids anymore

[@sinewriter]

Yeah any hangover supplement that lists "grape extract" as an ingredient contains DHM/dihydromyricetin in it. It is very effective when combined with vitamins and minerals. You just wake up tired, not hungover.

[@W9e0e2e3e4pizza]

Always called them the toothpaste fruit, idk they always had a that weird cough medicine and cooling effects to them. They were never great, we had one in our arboretum in PA

[@ZaDussault]

The peduncle is the "stem" of the apple too. It's not a stem