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Wednesday 4 January 2017

Celebrating Giant Mountain Kyoho Grapes

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.

The grape is a familiar fruit to Americans. In fact, one of the two families of grape is native to the Americas; the other kind comes from Europe. The Kyoho grape shares many characteristics with our native Concord variety. Each has a dark purple color, pale yellow flesh, and a slip-skin, which readily separates from the flesh. Both kinds are seeded. When both are eaten, the bitter skin and seeds are usually discarded.

The Kyoho is a cross between the American concord and a European type. It is sweeter than most grapes and more flavorful than the red or green table grape most people are familiar with. A bowl of peeled, chilled Kyohos is considered a delicacy by gourmets around the world.

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.

These grapes are packed with nutrition, including the reservatrol that is said to be so heart-healthy. They are mainly eaten but can be turned into jam, juice, and wine. They have a high sugar content, so keep them refrigerated until ready to serve. They are usually served chilled. If you get a bunch that is not ripe, just let it sit at room temperature and the grapes will ripen quickly.




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