dimanche 8 janvier 2017

Introducing The Great Mountain Kyoho Grapes Of Japan

By Ryan Anderson


A prized Japanese fruit is becoming a sensation around the world as people become familiar with it. Kyoho grapes are plum-sized, delicious, and distinctive. You may have seen them: great big glossy dark purple fruit that comes in bunches but seem way too big. Today this recently developed grape is cultivated in many countries, including China, Korea, Chile, and the US - California, to be exact.

There are two species of grape, one that originated in America and one from Europe. Kyoho is similar in many ways to the Concord, the native grape of America. It has dark skin and lighter flesh, large seeds, a distinctive flavor, and a slip-skin. This makes it very easy to peel, since the skin simply slides off the flesh. Although the flesh is very sweet, the skin and seeds are bitter and are usually not eaten.

Size and sweetness come from the European side. There is a seedless type of this popular grape, but purists say it doesn't have the flavor of the original. As a dessert, the fruit is served peeled and chilled in a bowl.

The climate of the Japanese mountains is humid, which doesn't bother the Concord. This grape, once the foundation of the New York grape industry, has a distinctive flavor which is concentrated in the skin and the seeds. When made into juice and jelly, the flavor comes through as much more than mere sweetness. In fact, the green and red ones we are familiar with in the grocery store seem too insipid to those who love the concord. The hybrid seems to thrive in California, where the Concord didn't. That's why California growers had to import European vines.

So you may find the flavor of Kyohos familiar. They taste like old fashioned grape jelly. Served alone as a dessert or paired with cheese, these Japanese fruits are sweeter than plums and almost as big. The juice is a popular cocktail ingredient in Japan. The fad for these specialty fruits caused California growers to import vines from the Far East, and they seem to be happy to be there.

If you see the fruit in your local market, there are guidelines to getting the best of the crop. Look for bunches of big dark grapes, firm but not hard, and glossy rather than dull. You probably should avoid any with soft and badly shriveled fruits, but some fans think that a little shriveling means sweeter flesh. Once the skin is slipped off, the grape will look appetizing.

The grapes are striking on a cheese board, and they pair well with blue and other rich cheeses. You will have to advise your guests to slide the skin off of each big grape before eating. Seeds have to be discretely spit into a napkin or your hand; they aren't sticky, so that's OK.

Kyohos are packed with nutrition, including heart-healthy reservatrol. Most of them are eaten fresh, but some are used for juice. There is a popular Japanese cocktail which gets its distinctive flavor from this juice. The sugar content of this fruit is very high, so keep the bunch in the refrigerator until you're ready to serve it so it doesn't spoil. Kyohos ripen quickly at room temperature and then begin to ferment.




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