Sidr
Ziziphus spina-christi · Rhamnaceae · also known as Christ's thorn jujube, Nabk, Nabag, Ilb, Konnar
A small, round, date-like fruit of a sacred thorny tree of the Middle East and Sahel — sweet, mealy, and apple-scented, eaten fresh and dried, and revered across religions. Its blossoms yield the world-famous, prized sidr honey.
At a glance
- Taste
- Sweet and mealy with a mild apple-and-date flavor and a thin skin over crisp-to-floury flesh around a hard stone; refreshing fresh, and sweeter still when dried.
- Origin
- The Middle East, North Africa, and the Sahel
- Grown in
- Yemen, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, India
- Peak season
- Autumn, Winter
Sensory & practical profile
Taste fingerprint
- Sweetness
- Tartness
- Aroma
- Juiciness
- Firmness
Approximate, at peak ripeness · 0–5
- Ripe when
- Skin turns yellow to reddish-brown and the fruit softens slightly and sweetens; riper fruit is more date-like.
- How to eat
- Eat the sweet mealy flesh fresh around the single stone, or dry it like a jujube for storage.
- Typical price
- Budget
The sidr tree is sacred across three religions — often identified with the Quran's "lote tree" and, by tradition, the source of the crown of thorns — and its blossoms yield Yemeni sidr honey, among the most expensive honeys on earth.
When it's in season, by region
| Region | Peak months |
|---|---|
| Middle East | Oct–Jan across the region |
How to select & store
Picking a ripe one
Choose firm-to-slightly-soft yellow-to-reddish-brown fruit; riper fruit is sweeter and softer. It's eaten fresh or sold dried, and gathered from wild and dooryard trees.
Storing it
Fresh fruit keeps several days; it dries well and stores for months like small dates or jujubes, a key trait for a dry-land food.
Practical uses
🍽️ Culinary
- Eaten fresh out of hand, around the single stone
- Dried and stored like jujubes for the lean season
- Ground into flour and made into cakes and drinks in some regions
- The blossoms famously produce prized sidr honey
🌿 Health & traditional
- Fruit, leaves, and bark deeply embedded in Middle Eastern and Islamic traditional medicine
- The powdered leaves used traditionally for washing hair and the body
🎎 Cultural
- A sacred tree across Islam, Judaism, and Christianity — often identified with the "lote tree" of the Quran and the crown of thorns
- Yemeni sidr honey, from the tree's blossoms, is among the most expensive honeys in the world
Eating sidr: what to know
What regular consumption looks like
Sidr is a nutritious everyday fruit, best enjoyed as part of a varied diet. It is a good source of fibre (about 3 g per 100 g), which supports digestion and satiety. It is a good source of vitamin C (about 40 mg per 100 g), supporting immune function and helping the body absorb iron from plant foods.
Sensible amounts
A typical fruit serving is roughly a handful, one medium fruit, or about 80 g, and two or more varied fruit servings a day is a sensible everyday pattern.
Evidence & conditions
As a whole fruit, Sidr contributes fibre, vitamins, and beneficial plant compounds, but it has not been shown to treat or prevent any specific condition — so it is best enjoyed as part of a healthy diet rather than as a remedy.
Sidr: frequently asked questions
What does sidr taste like?
Sweet and mealy with a mild apple-and-date flavor and a thin skin over crisp-to-floury flesh around a hard stone; refreshing fresh, and sweeter still when dried.
When is sidr in season?
Sidr is typically in season Middle East (Oct–Jan across the region). Peak months shift between the northern and southern hemispheres.
How do you eat sidr?
Eat the sweet mealy flesh fresh around the single stone, or dry it like a jujube for storage.
How do you know when sidr is ripe?
Skin turns yellow to reddish-brown and the fruit softens slightly and sweetens; riper fruit is more date-like.
Is sidr good for you?
Sidr is a nutritious everyday fruit, best enjoyed as part of a varied diet. It is a good source of fibre (about 3 g per 100 g), which supports digestion and satiety. It is a good source of vitamin C (about 40 mg per 100 g), supporting immune function and helping the body absorb iron from plant foods.
How much sidr should you eat?
A typical fruit serving is roughly a handful, one medium fruit, or about 80 g, and two or more varied fruit servings a day is a sensible everyday pattern.
The sidr is a fruit wrapped in reverence. Borne on a thorny tree sacred across Islam, Judaism, and Christianity — often identified with the “lote tree” of the Quran and, by tradition, the crown of thorns — this small, round, date-like fruit has nourished the peoples of the Middle East and Sahel for thousands of years.
Sweet fruit, sacred tree, priceless honey
The fruit itself is sweet and mealy, with a mild apple-and-date flavor, eaten fresh around its single stone or dried and stored like a jujube (to which it’s closely related, along with the ber) for the lean dry season. But the sidr tree’s gifts run deeper: its powdered leaves are a traditional soap and hair wash, its fruit, bark, and leaves are woven through Islamic and regional folk medicine, and — most famously — its blossoms produce sidr honey. Yemeni sidr honey, gathered from these very trees, is among the most expensive and prized honeys in the world. Hardy, drought-defying, and holy, the sidr is far more than a fruit — it’s a tree that has fed, cleansed, healed, and blessed the arid lands for millennia. A distinct cousin of the jujube and ber, it completes the trio of great Ziziphus fruits.
