Posts Tagged ‘japan’
There are many delicious fruits that are native to Japan. For centuries, local populations that were living on the island have sufficiently fed and flourished on these fruits. If you are visiting Japan make sure to enjoy the real taste of Japan in these fruits.
Some of the popular native Japanese fruits include, Actinidia kolomikta, Amanatsu, Ardisia, crenata, Citrus depressa, Daidai, Dekopon, Diospyros kaki, Ehretia acuminate, Fuji (apple), Iyokan, Japanese citrus, Kabosu, Kiyomi, Kyoho grape, Mutsu, and Natsumikan.
Fuji
Often thought to be named after the Mt. Fuji, this Japanese apple is considered to be the bestselling apple of Japan. In 1930, this was developed by Mr. Fujisaki in Tohoku Research Lab, hence it carries his name. This is the second generation cross between the native Japanese apples of the same name and two American apple varieties. Since its arrival on the market in 1962, it has been very popular due to its delicious taste and ruby red color. This apple contains more then ten percent sugar, and it has very long shelf life. It can be kept for almost six months without refrigeration. Most Fuji apples come from the Aomori region. Incidentally it became very popular in US as well, where it was introduced in 2003.
Actinidia kolomikta
This is another popular Japanese fruit locally known as Miyamamatatabi. This is a cousin of the European vine and forms normally as red drops. It is also said to be a native fruit from the Russian far east. This is a very long lived vine, it grows up to ten meters and its best species is Kolomikta. These are vines from cold climates, so they normally produce kiwifruit like delicious berries. The growing of this plant is an art, but the results are astonishingly delicious. These are part of salads, appetizers, and even part of savory dishes or dry fruit. One interesting fact about this is that the plant attracts cats.
Citrus Depressa
Citrus Depressa is named in Japan pectinifera, Okinawa, or shikwasa. The English call it a Taiwan tangerine. These are flat lemons with thin-skins. These are normally smaller than green citrus fruit, but they are juicier and have much more flavor. These are native to Okinawa, and are normally very sour in taste. They are normally added as a garnish, to lemonade, or are part of a tea that is sweetened.
The Daidai
The Daidai fruit is normally known as the bitter orange. The Japanese name is gwanggyul. This fruit is usually picked very late, so it has less fruit, but the taste is more mature and slightly bitter. The skin is very thick so it retains the green color. Mostly, the skin is used in food rather then the fruit it self. This is very important fruit as it is used in Japanese New Year celebrations. Other uses include being part of cakes and the famous dish Kgami Mochi.
The Dekopon fruit
Dekopon fruit is an extremely sweet and fruity citrus. These don’t have seeds and it was developed as a hybrid of Kiyomi and Pnkan brands. Very rich on vitamin c, this fruit is normally recommended for health reasons. In the USA this is available on the market under its generic name “Shiranuhi”.