- Type
- Grains
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Season
- Spring
- Sowing
- From seed
Job's Tears
Coix lacryma-jobi var. ma-yuen
Starch, coixol · the tall grass grain
Job's tears is an annual grass that reaches 1.5m. Sow in April or May and cut in October or November. The bract enclosing each grain is hard, so the crop has to be hulled before it can be eaten, and the closely related Coix known in Korea as yeomju, whose bract is harder still and glossy, is not eaten as grain at all. The Donguibogam lists it in the Grain section as 薏苡仁, calling its nature slightly cold, though some say neutral, with a sweet taste and no toxicity. The same entry gives a test for the genuine article, that it sticks to the teeth when chewed, and a preparation method: steam the fruit until it gives off vapour, dry it in the sun, then grind or rub it to free the kernel.
Year-Round Calendar
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Where It Grows
- Main producer Guizhou, Guangxi, Yunnan and Fujian are the center of production, and the country grows more of it than anywhere else in the world.
- Major producer It is grown in dry fields in the mountainous north.
- Major producer It is grown in the northern mountains and shipped out to neighboring countries.
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Major producer
Yeoncheon in Gyeonggi Province is the best-known growing area, and it is also grown in the districts of Gangwon Province along the border. Harvest October, November
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- Major producer Known there as hatomugi, it is widely roasted and drunk as a tea, so it is grown in Iwate, Toyama and elsewhere.
It is native to tropical Asia, broadly the belt running from India to Southeast Asia; since no single country can be named, no place-of-origin row has been given. It is a grain that crossed into East Asia and has been grown there for a long time, and its growing areas today are scattered across southern China, the uplands of Southeast Asia, and the temperate parts of East Asia. World grain statistics do not count it separately, so the list above is not a ranking by output but a list of places known to grow it. The harder, glossier-seeded yeomju (Coix lacryma-jobi var. lacryma-jobi), the bead form used for prayer beads, is a different variety of the same species and is not eaten as grain.
- Optimum
- 20~30℃
- Range
- 12~35℃
- Hardiness
- Not hardy
A summer-growing annual grain. Frost kills it, and the seed will not sprout until soil temperature rises above 15℃. It likes damp ground and will grow even in wet fields such as paddy bunds, and because it stands up to 1.5 m tall it topples easily in the monsoon rains and typhoons.
In Korea Nationwide
Sown in April–May and cut in October–November. Yeoncheon in Gyeonggi Province is the best-known growing area. The involucre — the hard shell around the grain — is tough, so the crop must be hulled before it can be eaten.
How to grow
- Light
- Six hours of direct sun or more. It grows tall enough to shade its neighbours, so put it at the north end of the plot
- Soil and depth
- Free-draining, well-worked field soil. It will also grow on damp ground such as a paddy bund
- Spacing
- 20 to 25cm between plants, 60 to 70cm between rows. Two or three seeds per hole, thinned to one plant
- Watering
- Keep the soil from drying while the heads emerge and the grain fills. Otherwise it asks little
- Feeding
- Base dressing is enough. Heavy nitrogen only adds height, and the crop goes over in the rainy season
- Harvest
- From mid-October, cut once the grain has gone brown to blackish brown and the leaves have dried. Bundle the cut plants, stand them to dry for about ten days, then thresh. Grain taken in with the bract still on has to be hulled before eating
What makes the difference. The plants reach 1.5m. Driving stakes either side of the row at planting and running twine between them cuts down the losses to summer rain and typhoons
Why this one is harder. The bract is hard enough that hulling at home is difficult. For a small amount, take it to a rice mill; if that is not an option, plan a smaller planting from the start
Common problems
- Asian corn borer You will see Holes in the stem with sawdust-like frass, and the top of the plant wilting What to do Cut out affected stems and take them off the plot. Clear the stubble after harvest so it cannot overwinter
- Oriental armyworm You will see Leaves stripped to the veins overnight What to do They arrive in numbers, so gather them by hand as soon as you see them; if it spreads, use an approved organic product early in the day
- Sparrows and other birds You will see Ripening heads left with empty husks and no grain What to do Net the crop once it starts to ripen, or hang reflective tape
This page describes how a crop is grown and used. It does not claim health effects for any food, nor is it intended to prevent or treat disease. Component and study notes are references only and do not mean the same result occurs in people. Consult a medical professional about health concerns.
Health Benefits
What the Donguibogam records — nature, taste, the test and the preparation. The Donguibogam lists Job's tears in the Grain section as 薏苡仁. It calls the nature slightly cold while noting that some say neutral, gives the taste as sweet, and records no toxicity. It leaves a test for the genuine article, that it sticks to the teeth when chewed, and a preparation: steam the fruit until it gives off vapour, dry it in the sun, then grind or rub it to free the kernel. This is a historical medical record and differs from modern medical judgment.
Isolation reports for compounds specific to the grain. Coixol and coixenolide have been isolated from Job's tears grain in published reports. This is the composition that sets the crop apart from other cereal grasses in the literature, and some analyses place more of it in the hull and bran. This is a compositional report, not a statement about effects.
A high fat share for a cereal. Composition tables put the fat of hulled Job's tears at around 5g per 100g, above rice or barley. That figure explains why milled grain picks up a rancid smell in long storage. It is a compositional record worth noting when setting a storage window.
Nutrition
- Starch (carbohydrate) (about 65g per 100g, hulled) — the main carbohydrate of the grain
- Protein (about 13g per 100g, hulled) — plant protein
- Fat (about 5g per 100g) — a high fat share for a cereal grain
- Coixol and coixenolide (isolated from the grain in published reports) — compounds characteristically reported in Job's tears
Starch and degree of milling Hulled Job's tears runs around 65g of carbohydrate per 100g. Colour and texture depend on how much of the bran layer is taken off after the bract is removed. Lightly milled grain is yellowish and chews coarse; heavily milled grain is white and soft but has lost the bran with it. For cooking into rice, the lightly milled grain holds its shape better.
Protein and fat Hulled Job's tears is reported at around 13g of protein per 100g, higher than rice. Fat sits around 5g, high for a cereal. All that fat means milled grain picks up a rancid smell in long storage. Better to buy as needed than to lay in a supply.
Compounds reported specifically in Job's tears Coixol (6-methoxybenzoxazolinone) and coixenolide have been isolated from the grain in published reports. This composition is what sets Job's tears apart from other cereal grasses in the literature. Some analyses place more of it in the hull and bran, so the figure shifts with how far the grain is milled. This entry stays with the compositional record.
Pairings
○ Rice — Cook about one part Job's tears to nine parts white rice. The grain cooks slower than rice, so soak it three or four hours first. Too high a proportion leaves the rice dry and crumbly.
○ Toasted and brewed — Toast hulled grain in a dry pan until it colours, then boil it for a nutty brew. How far you toast decides the colour and aroma. Take it past brown and only bitterness is left.
○ Milk or soy milk — Finely ground toasted Job's tears stirred into milk or soy milk loses the coarse edge of the plain grain. Tipped into hot liquid all at once the powder clumps, so add it a little at a time. It settles, so stir once or twice while drinking.
△ Mixing in yeomju — Yeomju is a close relative of Job's tears but its bract is stone-hard and glossy. If a fingernail will not dent it, it is yeomju. It is used for beads and craft work, not eaten as grain. Sort it out at harvest if it has come up mixed in the plot.
△ Large amounts during pregnancy — Old records and various guidance have long advised against eating much Job's tears during pregnancy. The evidence is not well settled, but anyone pregnant should speak with their own doctor before taking it regularly in quantity. A spoonful mixed into rice and several cups of brew a day are not the same thing.
△ Under-soaked whole grain — Even hulled, the kernels are hard and want five or six hours of soaking. Cooked under-soaked, they stay gritty in the mouth and slow to digest. A pressure cooker shortens the soaking time.
Varieties
- Job's tears (the edible variety) (seed) — Thin, soft bract that gives under a fingernail. Hulled for rice dishes and tea
- Yeoncheon local line (seed) — Cultivation in Korea is concentrated around Yeoncheon in Gyeonggi, and this is the line carried on there
- Yeomju (bead Job's tears) (seed) — Stone-hard, glossy bract. Used for beads and craft work, not eaten as grain
Source: Donguibogam, Grain Section 薏苡仁 · Rural Development Administration (Nongsaro) · Korean Food Composition Table