The gardenia, called chija in Korean, is a plant with beautiful, aromatic white flowers that bears fruit in October. The fruits are a little bitter but have a deep orange color and have been used in Korea as cloth dye and food coloring for a long long time.
You can buy them at Korean markets or on Amazon.com in small bags or in bulk.
As a herbal remedy they are good for fevers, and Koreans often make tea with them. They are also good for arthritis. My grandma used to mix them with flour to create a dough that she would apply to her joints to relieve her arthritis.
Dear Maangchi,
I’ve searched for an opportunity to make Danmuji by myself, because the sold one contains lots of artificial stuff, I actually don’t want to eat, so I was happy to see your recipe.
After searching for gardenia I got a bit worried, because I read several articles which say, the whole plant but especially the fruits are toxic! Have you ever heard about that? I mean, even gosari is said to be lightly toxic, when it’s not soaked and boiled several times as you always do in your recipes.
Greetings from Germany :)