Jambolan

jambolan the fruit of the tree Syzygium cumini, which grows wild in India and much of SE Asia and is cultivated in some countries of the region. It may also be called Java plum and black plum, or by the more general (Sanskrit) name jambu.

The fruit is cherry sized, and either white or purple in colour. The taste is mildly acid and always astringent, sometimes very strongly so. The white variety is sweeter than the purple one. A further disparity between the two is revealed if the fruit is made into jam or jelly. The white fruits have twice as much pectin as necessary, while the purple ones have almost none; so an equal mixture of the two should be used.