You may have encountered the Japanese sensation, giant mountain grapes, without knowing what a delicacy they are. If you have seen huge, blackish purple grapes in a specialty store, you may have seen Kyoho grapes, the most popular dessert fruit in Japan. Today the ones you see might come from California.
The two original species of grape are native to the Americas and to Europe. The two species were crossed by Japanese farmers and the Kyoho was born. It has many Concord characteristics, including a dark color, pale flesh, and a slip-skin. This refers to the way the skin slides free of the flesh; peeling a Kyoho is more squeezing it out of its skin. It has large seeds, and both skin and seeds are faintly bitter. They are discarded rather than eaten.
This resemblance is not strange, since Japanese growers crossed the Concord with European varieties to get the big, sweet fruit that gourmets all over the world love. The fruit is served peeled, but the skin slips off easily so this is not a problem. The rich flavor also comes from its American heritage; many consider the New World native grapes more flavorful than the European varieties.
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.
If serving the fruit with cheeses, chefs advise saltier ones, like the aged blue cheeses. You may want to leave the skin on if there is a display. You can advise your guests to slip the skins off before biting into the golden flesh. Seeds can be discreetly spit out into your hand or a napkin. Hey - like eating a watermelon, right?
Nutritionally this grape is great, with lots of the reservatrol that's important for heart health. Most Kyohos are eaten fresh, but they can be made into jelly, juice, or wine. They have the highest sugar content of any grape, so they should be refrigerated to keep them from fermenting. They should be chilled before serving. A bunch that seems not quite ripe can be left out at room temperature, where the grapes will quickly ripen.
The two original species of grape are native to the Americas and to Europe. The two species were crossed by Japanese farmers and the Kyoho was born. It has many Concord characteristics, including a dark color, pale flesh, and a slip-skin. This refers to the way the skin slides free of the flesh; peeling a Kyoho is more squeezing it out of its skin. It has large seeds, and both skin and seeds are faintly bitter. They are discarded rather than eaten.
This resemblance is not strange, since Japanese growers crossed the Concord with European varieties to get the big, sweet fruit that gourmets all over the world love. The fruit is served peeled, but the skin slips off easily so this is not a problem. The rich flavor also comes from its American heritage; many consider the New World native grapes more flavorful than the European varieties.
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.
If serving the fruit with cheeses, chefs advise saltier ones, like the aged blue cheeses. You may want to leave the skin on if there is a display. You can advise your guests to slip the skins off before biting into the golden flesh. Seeds can be discreetly spit out into your hand or a napkin. Hey - like eating a watermelon, right?
Nutritionally this grape is great, with lots of the reservatrol that's important for heart health. Most Kyohos are eaten fresh, but they can be made into jelly, juice, or wine. They have the highest sugar content of any grape, so they should be refrigerated to keep them from fermenting. They should be chilled before serving. A bunch that seems not quite ripe can be left out at room temperature, where the grapes will quickly ripen.
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