Overview

Green plum is a broad category covering several unripe or naturally green plum species used for their sour, tart flavor rather than for sweetness. The term encompasses East Asian ume (Prunus mume), European greengage (Prunus domestica subsp. italica), Australian kakadu plum (Terminalia ferdinandiana), and various wild plums. They are high in fiber, vitamin C, and other nutrients, and are typically preserved, cooked, or eaten raw with salt.

Origin and history

Different green plum species have distinct origins. Prunus mume has been cultivated in Korea for centuries for medicinal and culinary use [1]; it also has a long history in China and Japan. Greengage plums were developed in France from Armenian stock and named after the English Gage family in the 18th century. Kakadu plum is native to northern Australia and has been used by Aboriginal peoples for thousands of years. The Persian green plum (aloocheh) is a distinct sour variety grown in the Caspian region and northwest Iran [2].

Varieties and aliases

  • Maesil (매실) — Korean green ume, Prunus mume, harvested in early summer
  • Ume — Japanese green plum, same species as maesil
  • Qingmei (青梅) — Chinese green plum, same species
  • Greengage — European green plum, Prunus domestica subsp. italica
  • Kakadu plum / murunga — Australian native, Terminalia ferdinandiana
  • Aloo cheh (آلوچه) — Persian sour green plum
  • Tkemali — Georgian term for sour green plums; also the name of the sauce made from them
  • Wild plum — various species in North America and Europe

Culinary uses

Green plums are rarely eaten fully ripe and sweet; their culinary value lies in their sourness. In Korean cuisine, maesil is made into maesil-cheong (green plum syrup) by layering with sugar for 100+ days, producing a tart-sweet syrup used as a sugar substitute in drinks, marinades, and dressings [1]. The same plums are fermented into maesil-sikcho (green plum vinegar). In Persian cooking, aloo cheh is stewed fresh with lamb or duck in khoresh-e aloo cheh, or dried for year-round use [2]. Georgian cuisine produces tkemali, a sour green plum sauce thickened with herbs and garlic, served with grilled meats [3]. In the Philippines, green plums are eaten raw dipped in salt or bagoong [4]. They are also used in jams, pies, tarts, and sorbets.

Cross-cuisine context

Green plums occupy a functional role similar to tamarind in Mexican cuisine: a souring agent that provides acidity without vinegar. The Korean maesil-cheong functions analogously to piloncillo-based fruit syrups in Mexican aguas frescas, though the flavor profile is more tart than sweet. The Georgian tkemali sauce has no direct analogue in Mexican cuisine but shares the sour-fruit-herb logic of some Mexican salsas verdes, though tkemali uses green plums rather than tomatillos.

In the broader LA cuisine corpus, green plums appear in Korean (maesil-cheong, maesil-sikcho), Persian (khoresh-e aloo cheh), and Russian/Georgian (tkemali) traditions. No widely recognized sauce analogue exists in Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, Filipino, Cambodian, Armenian, Salvadoran, Guatemalan, Arabic, or Peruvian cuisines, though Filipino green mango with salt follows a similar sour-fruit-with-salt logic.

Notes for cooks

  • For maesil-cheong, use unripe green plums at a 1:1 weight ratio with raw sugar; do not refrigerate during the 100-day fermentation.
  • Dried sour green plums (available at Persian markets) can substitute for fresh in khoresh; rehydrate before cooking.
  • Tkemali plums are intensely sour; if substituting greengage or other green plums, taste and adjust with lemon juice or verjuice to match the acidity.