Oct 27, 2018
Yurihonjo’s meibutsu fruit
A friend of mine from Akita recently sent me a gift: Yurihonjo’s meibutsu (specialty) fruit.
What, might you ask, is the meibutsu fruit for Akita? Don’t be surprised if you have no idea—I didn’t either, and I’ve been there before!
Akita is known mostly for its rice crop, and give its location, it’s kind of an in-between spot for grapes and cherries (Yamagata’s meibutsu fruit) and apples (Aomori’s specialty).
Come to find out, it’s this:
FIGS!
Apparently Yurihonjo is the furthest north you can go where figs (ichijiku) still grow, and they’ve really taken pride in that fact. While figs are not a staple in Japanese cuisine, many Honjo products use it, and my friend wanted to share these with me.
A little tart, a little sweet, and just slightly bitter—they were perfect on toast and biscuits with some tea. Not bad, Yurihonjo!
Hitting the books once again as a Ph.D. student in Niigata Prefecture. Although I've lived in Japan many years, life as a student in this country is a first.
Blessed Dad. Lucky Husband. Happy Gaijin (most of the time).
1 Comment
edthethe
on Oct 28
im really surprised there isnt more japanese food using figs considering how many trees i see around. they also dont sell in store much and if they do they are tremendous prices.