Products : Fruits : Lotus

Lotus (Diospyros) is a fruit of the homonymous plant genus of the Ebenaceae family, which includes about 200 species of the tropics, mainly in the eastern tropics and temperate regions. They thrive in all soils, but prefer sunny and warm places. Most species are ornamental with edible fruit and some of them provide valuable wood (ebony), which is black and very hardy.

These are trees or shrubs with intact leaves and rarely the opposite.

Lotus, although a well-known fruit to the Greeks since the mythical times of Homer, is not a particular consumer product in the preferences of modern people. Thus, due to the limited demand, the Greek production of fresh lotus, which does not exceed 2,000 tons per year, some of it is traded in the domestic market and the rest is exported to Ukraine and Russia.

Lotus is said to have been known to the ancient Indians, from whom it spread initially to Tibet and China and later to Egypt and ancient Greece. Its beautiful flower originally played an important religious symbol of purity and was similarly included in the architecture, paintings and poetry of all the above ancient peoples. For the ancient Egyptians, the lotus was the symbol of the four elements of nature, as well as the symbol of reincarnation.

It is rich in:

• fibre and so is particularly beneficial to people suffering from constipation
• vitamins (C, B1, B2, B6) that significantly strengthen the immune and nervous systems
• trace elements (potassium, magnesium, phosphorus and copper)

It is an excellent source of flavonoids, beta-carotene, lycopene, zeaxanthin and cryptoxanthin, which are powerful antioxidants. It contains betulinic acid, a substance that has been shown to be highly active against several forms of cancer. It also contains polyphenols and catechins, also known for their anti-inflammatory action. 

Period during which the First Fruit Stand markets the lotus: September - December.