Job's Tears

Job's Tears (Coix lacryma-jobi), Coixseed, adlay, or adlai, is a tall grain-bearing tropical plant of the family Poaceae (grass family) native to East Asia and Malaya but elsewhere cultivated in gardens as an annual. It has been naturalized in the southern United States and the New World tropics. Job's Tears is also commonly, but erroneously sold as Chinese pearl barley in Asian supermarkets, despite the fact that C. lacryma-jobi are not of the same genus as barley (Hordeum vulgare).

The mature grains are enveloped by very hard, pearly white, oval structures which are used as beads for making rosaries, necklaces, and other objects. Some varieties are harvested as cereal crops and are used medicinally in parts of Asia.

Etymology

Job's Tears are called many different things by cultures that utilize them:

• Chinese: The plants are called chuān gǔ (川谷) or yì yǐ (薏苡). The grains are called yì mí (薏米) or yì rén (薏仁).
• Vietnamese: bo bo, cườm gạo, or ý dĩ (derived from the Chinese 薏苡)
• Japanese: juzudama (数珠玉 or ジュズダマ) or hatomugi (鳩麦 or ハトムギ)
• Korean: yulmu (율무) in [1]

Uses

In Korea, a thick drink called yulmu cha (율무차, literally "Job's tears tea") is made from powdered Job's tears. A similar drink, called yì mí shǔi, (薏米水) also appears in Chinese cuisine, and is made by boiling whole polished Job's Tears in water and sweetening it with sugar. In both Korea and China, a distilled liquor is also made from the grain.

References

• Pink, A. (2004). Gardening for the Million.. Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.

External links

• Sorting Coix names

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