Japanese Fruit: Aomikan Marmalade

Aomikan is a green tangerine that are available in Japan from around the end of August though September. There are simply tangerines that have been harvested a few weeks early. They are tart and tangy. I love peeling them, surprisingly the green peel gives way to juicy orange fruit. Aomikan are one of my two favorite citrus for eating and…
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Japanese Fruit Akebi (Chocolate Vine)

Akebi is a mysterious and beautiful fruit native to the north of Japan and has only been cultivated and available in stores only in recent decades. The translucent white flesh inside, filled with countless white capped shiny black seeds is eaten as fruit. Unbeknownst to many, the purple pod can be cooked and eaten as well, but like a vegetable,…
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Bontan Ame – Traditional Japanese Gyuhi-Mochi and Pectin Soft Candy

Our regular readers may recall last year that we introduced Bontan Ame, a classic soft Japanese mochi-like candy made in the southern island of Kyushu with a regional citrus called bontan. I don’t eat much candy but in recent months I have become bontan ame crazed! I eat a box of it nearly everyday. Fortunately bontan ame is not terribly…
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Japanese Persimmon Shibugaki

Japanese Persimmon Shibugaki (渋柿) Japanese Persimmon Shibugaki (渋柿)
Autumn is persimmon time in Japan. The shibugaki is an astringent persimmon that can be enjoyed only when it is very ripe, or has been blet. I like to spoon the soft, dripping flesh out like ice cream from a paper cup.…
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