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Job's Tears
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Coix lacryma-jobi L. |
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Coix agrestis Lour. |
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 misleadingly 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.
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Job's Tears are called many different names in different cultures:
- Chinese: The plants are called chuān gǔ (川谷) or yì yǐ (薏苡). The grains are called yì mǐ (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]
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 simmering whole polished Job's Tears in water and sweetening the resulting thin, cloudy liquid with sugar. The grains are usually strained from the liquid but may also be consumed separately or together.
In both Korea and China, a distilled liquor is also made from the grain.
It is also used alongside other herbs in traditional Chinese medicine.
| Grains (Cereals and Pseudocereals) |  |
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| Amaranth - Barley – Buckwheat – Fonio – Job's Tears – Kañiwa – Maize (Corn) – Millet – Oat – Quinoa – Rice – Rye – Sorghum – Spelt – Triticale – Teff – Wild rice – Wheat (Bulgur – Couscous – Kamut) |