Ume

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Ume
Fruits of Japanese plum.jpg

Ume ( Prunus mume )

Systematics
Order : Rose-like (rosales)
Family : Rose family (Rosaceae)
Subfamily : Spiraeoideae
Tribe : Stone fruit family (Amygdaleae)
Genre : Prunus
Type : Ume
Scientific name
Prunus mume
Siebold & Zucc.

Ume ( Prunus mume ; from Japanese 梅 , kana う め ), also Japanese apricot , Japanese plum or winter cherry , is a species of plant from the genus Prunus in the rose family (Rosaceae). Like the apricot and the Siberian apricot, it belongs to the Armeniaca section in the Prunus subgenus . Another species often referred to as the "Japanese plum" is the sumomo ( Prunus salicina ).

The Asian ume tree comes from China , from the area of Sichuan , Shaanxi , western Hubei , there méi ( Chinese  梅 , Pinyin méi , Jyutping mui 4  - "Ume") or méishù ( 梅樹  /  梅树 , méishù , Jyutping mui 4 syu 6  - "Ume tree") called. However, through cultural exchange with China, the ume tree also grew in ancient times in Japan and Korea ( called maesil there). It is cultivated for its fruits and flowers.

There are more than 300 cultivars of ume in Japan. They are divided into three types:

  • Wild plum type ( 野 梅 系 , yabai-kei ), used as a graft base
  • Purple-flowered type ( 紅梅 系 , kōbai-kei ), grown more as an ornamental tree
  • Bungo type ( 豊 後 系 , Bungo-kei ), makes the best fruit

etymology

The scientific name ( Prunus mume ) retains another old Japanese pronunciation, possibly the original mme ( ん め ), which was historically written as " mume " ( む め ), as there was no special kana for the single nasal sound used at that time. All three names ( chin. Méi , jap. Ume and kor. Maesil ) come from the country-specific pronunciation of the same character 梅 .

features

The ume is a deciduous tree with a round crown that can grow to heights of 1 to 15 meters, or a tall shrub . The thin bark is gray-green.

The simple, alternate, fresh green, lighter underneath, slightly leathery leaves are 4 to 10 centimeters long, ovate to elliptical and sawed on the edge. In youth they are hairy on both sides, later bald on the top, hairy on the underside only on the nerves and often have a pointed, crooked point.

The flowers are solitary or in pairs, single or double . They are white to dark pink in color, almost sessile, appear in front of the leaves and have a strong smell, especially in the evening. The flower cup is broadly cup-shaped, it is a winter bloomer and the flowers appear before the leaves.

The small stone fruit has a diameter of 2 to 3 centimeters and is yellow or green, somewhat hairy, spherical and sour to bitter. The stone core is pitted and adheres well to the pulp. Individual specimens can be over a thousand years old.

The number of chromosomes is 2n = 16, rarely 32.

  • Cross section through an Ume trunk

  • White flowers of Prunus mume in the snow

  • Pink flowers of Prunus mume in the Imperial Palace in Kyoto

  • Fruits of Prunus mume

  • Stone core of Prunus mume

use

Huàméi ( 話梅  /  话梅 ); dried ume fruits
Chinese "plum wine" méijiǔ ( 梅酒 ) with ice cubes
Umeboshi plums ( 梅干 )

Ume syrup , extract is obtained by soaking the fruit in sugar. The syrup tastes sweet and sour and is valued in summer as a refreshing drink in tea as Maesil-cha ( 매실 차 ). In North and South Korea it is marketed with increasing success as a healthy tonic under the name Maesil-cheong ( 매실 청 ). The remaining after inserting ume fruits are maesil-jangajji ( 매실 장아찌 processed), with either Gochujang or Korean soy sauce Ganjang and soybean paste Doenjang , with chili powder Gochutgaru , Perilla -Scroll, garlic, cucumbers, Winter radish , melon , vinegar and Deodeok roots ( Codonopsis lanceolata ).

The juice of the unripe ume fruits is also used in this way in Japan and Korea. They are also used simply placed in brine .

In China, the ume fruits are pickled in salt, sugar and vinegar as well as herbs Suān méizǐ ( 酸梅 子  - "sour ume "). Another variant is Huàméi ( 話梅  /  话梅 ), the ume fruits are placed in brine and then dried in the sun, then sugared and seasoned with lemon juice, as well as various spices ( anise , cloves or cinnamon).

There is also a traditional cold, sweet and sour soft drink, the Bīngzhèn Suānméitāng ( 冰鎮 酸梅湯  /  冰镇 酸梅汤  - "ice-cold suanmeitang") made from smoked ume fruits ( 烏梅  /  乌梅 , wūméi  - "black ume ") and optional other ingredients. Mostly with sugar candy of the sweet osmanthus is scented, pinnule Hawthorn ( Crataegus pinnatifida ), Chinese Licorice ( Glycyrrhiza uralensis ) and some salt, more can be optionally dried tangerine , but also Chinese jujube , Zimtkassien -Rinde and flowers, cloves and rose petals added become.

There is also a thick, sweet sauce, Méizǐjiàng ( 梅子 醬  /  梅子 酱  - "Ume seasoning sauce"), also called Méijiàng ( 梅 醬  /  梅 酱 ), with sugar or raw sugar , salt, also with spices, boiled down ume Fruits or as sugared jam .

In Japanese cuisine , the ume is used as follows:

  • Umeshu (梅酒 ), which means "Ume alcohol", is an alcoholic drink that is made by placing green Ume fruits in shōchū (a clear brandy). There is also a Chinese and Korean version.
  • Umeboshi (梅干 ), or “dried ume ”, are ume fruits pickledin salt and shiso leaves. The equivalent in China is called Suān méizǐ (酸梅 子 )
  • Ume-Su ( 梅 酢 ), or “Ume vinegar”, is the liquid that is created during lactic acid fermentation. With its sour taste, it can be used just like vinegar. With one small difference: Ume-Su is very salty, so no more salt needs to be added to the dish. Ume Su is less acidic than traditional vinegars .

Cultural meaning

In Chinese culture, the ume, and especially its flower, is highly valued. Ume blooms in the coldest time of the year and is therefore seen as a symbol of vitality and defying adverse conditions. Ume, pine and bamboo are called the "Three Winter Friends " ( 歲寒 三 友  /  岁寒 三 友 , suìhán sānyǒu ). Furthermore, the ume with orchid , bamboo and chrysanthemum ( 梅蘭 竹 菊  /  梅兰 竹 菊 , méilán zhújú ) forms the so-called “four nobles” ( 四 君子 , sì jūnzǐ ). These four flowers symbolize the four seasons in the sinocultural area of ​​Asia , orchid ( 蘭  /  兰 , lán ) for spring, bamboo ( 竹 , zhú ) for summer, chrysanthemum ( 菊 , jú ) for autumn and ume ( 梅 , méi ) for the winter.

The Ume tree which allegedly by Kyushu to fly at Sugawara no Michizane to be

On July 21, 1964, the parliament of the Republic of China (Taiwan) designated ume as the state bloom. China Airlines therefore shows an ume flower on the tail fin of its aircraft. Each of these pictures is hand-painted, which is why they are all different.

The People's Republic of China has no state bloom, but the ume is traded as the most promising candidate alongside the peony .

In 1928, the then capital of the Republic of China Nanjing designated the Ume as the city's bloom. In 1982 this decision was confirmed by the (now People's Republican ) city government.

Many authors, including Wang Anshi and Mao Zedong , have dedicated poems to Ume, and it was also mentioned in the Man'yōshū .

An ume flower is depicted on the Chinese 100 yuan renminbi note. For example, the Chinese shipping company OOCL uses a stylized Ume flower in its company logo.

In China, the character Méi ( 梅 ) for Ume is also used as a name both as a family name (e.g. Anita Mui , 梅艷芳  /  梅艳芳 , Méi Yànfāng , Jyutping Mui 2 Jim 6 fong 1 ) and in first names, especially popular with women .

Ume flowers are often used in Japanese poetry as a symbol of the beginning of spring. Especially in traditional Japanese poems ( Haiku , Tanka and Renga ) they are a symbol ( Kigo ) for the beginning of spring.

The flowers are associated with the songbird Uguisu , one of the symbols of the city of Nara . Together they form one of the twelve colors of the Japanese playing cards ( Hanafuda ).

In the Nara period , the ume blossom was more popular than the now preferred cherry blossom ( sakura ), which only became popular after the Heian period .

The Ume tree is associated with the Kami Tenjin in Shinto and is therefore planted at its shrines. It is also loved and celebrated in China and is often used there to decorate the Chinese New Year.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ "Ume - Prunus mume Sieb." - 梅 - méi (English): [1] , on efloras.org, accessed on August 10, 2018 - online
  2. ↑ "Ume - Prunus mume Sieb." (English): [2] , on ipni.org, accessed on August 10, 2018 - online
  3. ^ Term " Ume - 梅 " (English, Japanese): [3] , on tangorin.com, accessed on August 10, 2018 - online
  4. ^ Term " Ume - 梅 " (German, Japanese): [4] , on wadoku.de, accessed on August 10, 2018 - online
  5. ^ Term " Ume - 梅 " (German, Japanese): [5] In: mpi-lingweb.shh.mpg.de, accessed on May 1, 2019 - Online
  6. ↑ Ruth Schneebeli-Graf, Ernest Henry Wilson: Flower country China: Ornamental plants. Volume 1, 2nd edition, Birkhäuser, 1995, ISBN 978-3-7643-5182-3 , p. 98.
  7. ↑ "Ume - Armeniaca mume Sieb." - 梅 - méi (English): [6] , on efloras.org, accessed on August 10, 2018 - online
  8. ^ Term "Ume" - 梅 - méi (Chinese): [7] , on zdic.net, accessed on August 10, 2018 - online
  9. ^ Term "Ume" - 梅 - méi (Chinese, German): [8] , on dict.leo.org, accessed on August 10, 2018 - online
  10. ^ Jules Janick: Horticultural Reviews. Volume 23, Wiley, 1999, ISBN 0-471-25445-2 , p. 209.
  11. ^ Leopold Dippel : Handbuch Der Laubholzkunde. Volume 3, Paul Parey, Berlin 1893, Wentworth Press, 2016, ISBN 978-1-362-69958-3 (Reprint), p. 632 f, online at biodiversitylibrary.org, accessed on February 14, 2017.
  12. ↑ Leah Chester-Davis, Toby Bost: The Successful Gardener Guide. John F. Blair (Ed.), 2011, ISBN 978-0-89587-515-0 , pp. 99 f.
  13. ↑ Hideyuki Doi: Winter flowering phenology of Japanese apricot Prunus mume reflects climate change across Japan. In: Climate Research. Vol. 34, No. 2, 2007, online (PDF; 168 kB), on int-res.com, accessed on February 14, 2017, doi : 10.3354 / cr034099 .
  14. ↑ Hildemar Scholz, Ilse Scholz: Prunus . In: Hans. J. Conert et al. a. (Ed.): Gustav Hegi. Illustrated flora of Central Europe. Volume 4 Part 2B: Spermatophyta: Angiospermae: Dicotyledones 2 (3). Rosaceae 2 . Blackwell 1995, ISBN 3-8263-2533-8 .
  15. ↑ Patricia Jonas, Brooklyn Botanic Garden: Japanese-inspired Gardens: Adapting Japan's Design Traditions for Your Garden. Brooklyn Botanic Garden, 2001, ISBN 1-889538-20-5 , p. 74.
  16. ^ Prunus mume at Tropicos.org. In: IPCN Chromosome Reports . Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis
  17. ↑ Green Plum Syrup on kimchimari.com, accessed February 16, 2017.
  18. ↑ Ken Albala: Three World Cuisines: Italian, Mexican, Chinese. Altamira Press, 2012, ISBN 978-0-7591-2125-6 , p. 201.
  19. ↑ Term "smoked ume " - 烏梅 / 乌梅 - wūméi, "black ume" (Chinese): [9] , on zdic.net, accessed on August 10, 2018 - online
  20. ^ Sour Plum Drink; Suanmeitang on pressurecookrecipes.com, accessed February 15, 2017.
  21. ↑ Term “Meizijiang” - 梅子 醬 / 梅子 酱 (Chinese): [10] , on xiachufang.com, accessed on August 10, 2018 - online
  22. ↑ Term “Meizijiang” - 梅子 醬 / 梅子 酱 (Chinese): [11] , on xiachufang.com, accessed on August 10, 2018 - online
  23. ↑ "Ume vinegar" - 梅 酢 (Japanese): [12] , on ume1.com, accessed on August 10, 2018 - online
  24. ↑ Term "Ume-Su" - 梅 酢 - Ume vinegar (English, Japanese): [13] , on tangorin.com, accessed on August 10, 2018 - online
  25. ^ Term "Ume-Su" - 梅 酢 - Ume-Essig (German, Japanese): [14] , on wadoku.de, accessed on August 10, 2018 - online
  26. ↑ Term “Drei Winterfreunde” - 歲寒 三 友 / 岁寒 三 友 - suìhán sānyǒu (Chinese, English): [15] , on zdic.net, accessed on August 10, 2018 - online
  27. ↑ Term “Orchidee” - 蘭 / 兰 - lán (Chinese): [16] , on zdic.net, accessed on August 10, 2018 - online
  28. ↑ Term “bamboo” - 竹 - zhú (Chinese): [17] , on zdic.net, accessed on August 10, 2018 - online
  29. ↑ Term “Chrysanthemum” - 菊 - jú (Chinese): [18] , on zdic.net, accessed on August 10, 2018 - online
  30. ↑ Term “Vier Edelmänner ” - 四 君子 - sì jūnzǐ (Chinese): [19] , on zdic.net, accessed on August 10, 2018 - online
  31. ↑ Republic of China (Taiwan): The Republic of China Yearbook 2015. Executive Yuan, 2015, ISBN 978-986-04-6013-1 , p. 5
  32. ↑ Jürgen Weber: In the later years I only desire silence: Chinese poems. Norderstedt, 2009, ISBN 978-3-8370-8551-8 , p. 77.
  33. ^ Hans-Christian Günther, Gu Zhengkun (Ed.): Mao Zedong - Gedichte. Traugott Bautz, Nordhausen 2013, ISBN 978-3-88309-864-7 , p. 136 ff.
  34. ↑ 100 yuan note with Prunus mume blossom on currencyguide.eu, accessed on February 14, 2017.
  35. ^ S. Katsumata: Gleams From Japan. Routledge, 2011, ISBN 978-0-415-67958-9 (reprint).
  36. ↑ Michel Conan, W. John Kress: Botanical Progress, Horticultural Innovation and Cultural Changes. Harvard University Press, 2007, ISBN 978-0-88402-327-2 , p. 132.

Web links

Commons : Ume ( Prunus ume )  - album with pictures, videos and audio files