Job's tears or Job's-tears, scientific name Coix lacryma-jobi, also known as adlay or adlay millet, is a tall grain-bearing perennial tropical plant of the family Poaceae. It is native to Southeast Asia but elsewhere is cultivated in gardens as an annual. It has been naturalized in the southern United States and the New World tropics. In its native environment it is grown in higher areas where rice and corn do not grow well. Other common names include coixseed, tear grass and Yi Yi. Job's tears are also commonly sold as Chinese pearl barley in Asian supermarkets, although C. lacryma-jobi is not closely related to barley. There are two main varieties of the species, one wild and one cultivated. The wild variety, Coix lacryma-jobi var. lacryma-jobi, has hard-shelled pseudocarps—very hard, pearly white, oval structures used as beads for making rosaries, necklaces, and other objects. The cultivated varietyCoix lacryma-jobi var. ma-yuen is harvested as a cereal crop, has a soft shell, and is used medicinally in parts of Asia. Job's Tears is also a song with The Incredible String Band from the albumWee Tam 1968.
Taxonomy
The species was named by Carl Linnaeus in 1753 with the epithet as a Latin translation of the metaphorical tear of Job., four varieties are accepted by the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families:
Coix lacryma-jobi var. ma-yuen Stapf. South China to peninsular Malaysia and the Philippines.
Coix lacryma-jobi var. puellarum A.Camus. Assam to Yunnan and Indochina.
Coix lacryma-jobi var. stenocarpa Oliv.. Eastern Himalayas to Indochina.
History
Residue on pottery from a Yangshao Culture site in China shows that Job's tears were used to brew beer as early as 3000 BC. Remains of Job's tears have been found in archaeological sites in northeastern India, dating to around 1000 BC.
Uses
Crafts
The hard, white grains of Job's tears have historically been used as beads to make necklaces and other objects. In both the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma, the beads of Job's tears are called "corn beads" or "Cherokee corn beads" and have been used for personal adornment.
Food
Job's tears grains are widely eaten as a cereal, and sometimes used as folk medicine. Throughout East Asia, Job's tears are available in dried form and cooked as a grain. The grains are generally spherical, with a groove on one end, and polished white in color. In Japan unpolished grains are also sold. In Korea, a thick drink called yulmu cha is made from powdered Job's tears. A similar drink, called yi ren jiang , 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 southern China, Job's tears are often used in tong sui, a sweet dessert soup. One variety is called ching bou leung in Cantonese, and is also known as sâm bổ lượng in Vietnam. In Cambodia, where it is known as skuay, it is used both as part of herbal medicine and as an ingredient in desserts. In Thailand, it is often consumed in teas and other drinks, such as soy milk.
Alcoholic beverages
In both Korea and China, distilled liquors are also made from the grain. One Korean liquor is called called okroju, which is made from rice and Job's tears. The grains are also brewed into beers in northeast India and other parts of southeast Asia.
