Job’s Tears
Job's Tears
Chewy East Asian grain used in soups and teas.
About Job's Tears
Job’s Tears, also called adlay, is a chewy East Asian grain used in soups, porridges, mixed-grain dishes, and salads. It is a grain-like seed with a substantial kernel, valued in cooking for its more resilient bite rather than the softness of many common cereals.
Cooked Job’s Tears have a mild, lightly nutty flavour and a pleasantly chewy, somewhat glutinous texture. Longer cooking makes the kernels softer and more swollen, while shorter cooking preserves a firmer bite. Roasted kernels or preparations made as tea have a toastier flavour and a different mouthfeel.
The dry kernels are usually pale cream, grey, or brownish, depending on processing and the presence of outer layers. Soaking shortens cooking time, and boiling softens the kernels while leaving them substantial. They may be sold whole, hulled, pearled, or milled, with each form cooking differently.
- Ingredient type
- whole food
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Local names for job's tears
Names and romanised forms to recognise on menus and labels.
adlay
Job's tears(Yulmu), Polished, Cooked
Search alias · Not a confirmed translation
Job's tears(Yulmu), Polished, Raw
Search alias · Not a confirmed translation
Available names only. Languages may be spoken in other countries; a name alone does not identify every ingredient in a dish.
Name not available yet.
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Job's Tears nutrition & diet
Job's Tears nutritional value
Job's tears, milled grain, raw — MEXT 01138
Per 100 g of the edible portion in the explicitly named reference form.
- Calories
- 353kcal
- Protein
- 13.3g
- Carbs
- 72.2g
- Fat
- 1.3g
Per 100 g edible portion. Values use MEXT 2023 with March 2026 corrections; the English food name is matched by food code from the official English edition. Carbohydrate is total carbohydrate by difference. Values in parentheses in the source are estimates reported by MEXT. This reference does not cover other preparations or brands.
Portions & preparation
Establish whether the item is whole Job’s Tears grain, pearled grain, flour, or a brewed tea ingredient before comparing references. For cooked grain, match the drained edible portion and preparation liquid; soups may also contribute oils, broths, legumes, vegetables, or seasonings.
Compare the right form: Identify whole or pearled Job’s Tears and match raw, cooked, milled, or tea form; references should specify edible grain versus brewing residue.
Diet considerations
Job’s Tears is a plant cereal grain. Plain cooked grain can suit plant-based meals, but compatibility changes with meat broth, dairy, sweeteners, or mixed-grain recipes. Because it is a cereal ingredient and regional processing varies, establish the exact grain identity and recipe rather than assuming suitability for a particular grain-exclusion diet.
AI-authored reading notes · Awaiting editorial review. Measured values, where available, have a separate source above.
Dietary compatibility
- VeganNot established
- VegetarianNot established
- PescatarianNot established
- KetoNot established
- PaleoNot established
- Low-carbNot established
- HalalNot established
- KosherNot established
What these diet assessments mean
- Vegan · Not established
- The available profile does not establish the full composition or processing for this dietary pattern.
- Vegetarian · Not established
- The available profile does not establish the full composition or processing for this dietary pattern.
- Pescatarian · Not established
- The available profile does not establish the full composition or processing for this dietary pattern.
- Keto · Not established
- A defined serving and sourced carbohydrate data are needed before assessing this dietary pattern.
- Paleo · Not established
- The ingredient form and processing have not been assessed against this dietary pattern.
- Low-carb · Not established
- A defined serving and sourced carbohydrate data are needed before assessing this dietary pattern.
- Halal · Not established
- Sourcing, processing and any applicable certification have not been verified. A food name alone does not establish halal status.
- Kosher · Not established
- Sourcing, processing and any applicable certification have not been verified. A food name alone does not establish kosher status.
For the plain ingredient · Awaiting review. Diet compatibility is not allergy suitability or halal/kosher certification. Keto and low-carb depend on the portion.
AI-generated illustration for visual context. It does not identify a particular product or establish allergen content.
Sources & review
Nutrition reference: MEXT Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan, 2023 supplement, corrected March 2026 ↗. Values are scaled from 100 g of the recorded edible form. Individual portions have no assumed fixed weight.
Expanded overview, name examples and nutrition notes are database drafts awaiting editorial review. Numeric nutrition values, where shown, have their own source and food-form reference.
The ingredient description and dish connections come from the draft catalogue and may change after review.
Last recorded verification: .