Delight in Rare Flavors: Japanese White Strawberry & Yuzu Like You’ve

The Allure of Rare Japanese Fruits Japan is renowned for its diverse fruit offerings, featuring new varieties and delightful hybrids that emerge annually, ensuring a new taste every year. Among these offerings, two stand out as top choices, both for their delightful flavor and their luxury appeal: white strawberry and yuzu. One, a juicy, sweet berry carefully cultivated for its light hue, and the other a versatile citrus fruit, ideal as an ingredient for drinks, snacks, meals, and desserts. In Japan, it's common to gift premium fruits to loved ones, coworkers, acquaintances, and anyone that you want to offer respect or appreciation. Because fruits in Japan are of such high quality, they're considered luxury gifts, with their cost significantly higher than the regular price of fruit in the US and other countries. Not only is this a cultural offering, it's steeped in Japan's history and traditions, making the act of gifting fruit a truly thoughtful experience. What Is a Japanese White Strawberry? Vigorous testing and experimentation led to the creation of Japan's white strawberry (also known as Shiroi Houseki). After curating the "perfect" version of this delicious berry, it was first available for purchase in 2012. What makes this strawberry unlike others is its color. It features a white color inside and outside, with red seeds covering its exterior. The color (or lack of color) is intentional, with farmers preventing the berries from being exposed to light. Typical strawberries turn red, partly due to the temperature and water in the area, but also due to sunlight. By limiting the amount of sunlight the strawberries receive, they ripen without turning red. Even though they possess a white hue, they offer a tasty, sweet flavor, sometimes even sweeter than other red-hued varieties. Additionally, Japanese white strawberries are typically larger in size than red strawberries, adding to their appeal. Multiple varieties of white strawberries exist, including Angel Strawberry, Milky Berry, and Pearl Princess. While they may vary in size, flavor, and aroma, they all feature a white or very light color throughout. The Luxury Behind the White Strawberry Beyond the highly hands-on cultivation process, multiple other factors have catapulted the Japanese white strawberry into an exclusive, premium fruit category. For one, even with farmers minimizing the amount of sunlight received by the strawberries, only about 10% of the berries remain completely white. Additionally, due to their light color, these strawberries are more prone to showing scratches and imperfections than red varieties. This means that even fewer are viable and considered suitable for purchase. Once ready for market, the fresh strawberries are carefully packed to perfection in a tray that displays their stunning appearance. They're not typically available in supermarkets. Instead, they're purchased at high-end fruit markets or online. Due to their exclusivity, the price per berry is high, typically around $10 per piece of fruit. Often, they're purchased in packs of 10 or more, making each pack $100 or more for customers. Japanese white strawberries are typically only sold for a few months each year, with their peak flavor and sweetness in January and February. These delectable fruits make an amazing present for special occasions, regardless of the quantity purchased. Yuzu: Japan's Beloved Citrus Treasure Another exciting fruit offering is the Japanese yuzu, a citrus fruit known for its larger size, high acidity, soft pulp, and culinary versatility. With yellow, bumpy skin and a light, fresh, citrus scent, its unique qualities have helped establish it among Japanese gastronomes, as well as those in other areas of the world, including the US and Europe. In Japanese cuisine, this yellow, tangy fruit is being added to everything from condiments to drinks and desserts. Due to its delightful aroma, it is often an ingredient in skincare and cosmetics. With its wide array of uses, it's no wonder that Japanese yuzu has remained popular and continues to expand into new culinary offerings, such as sour candies, salt, and dips. What Makes Yuzu So Unique Many fans of the fruit appreciate the way it hits the taste buds, with its strong sour flavor. While it's not typically consumed on its own due to this bold taste, it makes a nice addition to nearly any dish, drink, or sweet treat. Often, its flavor is compared to a mix of lemon, grapefruit, and orange, which contributes to its versatility and popularity. Those with a strong palette describe the flavor as offering a floral, herbal taste in addition to its citrus base. There are several ways to enjoy the flavor of Japanese yuzu, including as a tea, in cocktails and mocktails, in jams, added to sweets like cookies, or mixed into dressings and marinades. It provides a fresh flavor reminiscent of warm summer days with each bite or sip. In comparison, many other citrus fruits are typically used only for drinks or confections, whereas yuzu is used for both sweet and savory purposes. From Orchard to Confectionery: A Natural Evolution Typically available from September to February each year, this delightful citrus fruit was first used for its medicinal properties. Its unique flavor profile quickly turned this fragrant fruit into a culinary wonder. With its increased use came an expansion in cultivation, shifting from growing Japanese yuzu in small areas to becoming a top export in Kochi Prefecture. Its delicious flavor and aroma, combined with its deeper meaning in Japanese culture (such as health and longevity), make it the ultimate ingredient for both traditional and modern Japanese sweets. Yuzu entered the Japanese culinary world with traditional treats, including yuzu-filled mochi and tangy candies. Since then, it has expanded to ice cream, cakes, jam-filled cookies, and even artisanal chocolate bars. White Strawberry Candy Bites: A Rare Delight While it may not be easy to find Japanese white strawberries outside of the country, you can still indulge cravings for this beloved fruit through white strawberry candy, like these White Strawberry Japanese Candy Bites. This sweet candy is inspired by Japan's premium white strawberries, offering a unique, creamy flavor and an airy, crispy consistency. These freeze-dried sweets are crafted with white chocolate, rather than milk chocolate or dark chocolate, allowing the floral taste of white strawberry to shine through. What starts as a crispy treat softens, turning into a melted, delicate strawberry cream in your mouth. This unique consistency and flavor make these a favorite choice in any household. Sour Yuzu Bites: Bold, Bright, and Addictive Prepare your taste buds for a real treat with Sour Yuzu Japanese Candy Bites, the ultimate in candy indulgence. Each candy packs a bold, sour citrus flavor, bursting with the complex taste of yuzu. Just like the white strawberry version, these yuzu freeze-dried candies include an airy texture that melts in your mouth after a few moments. These candies feature a unique yuzu coating that packs a punch in the flavor department, intensifying the pucker effect with each tangy, sweet bite. They're made with real Japanese yuzu for an authentic taste. ==https://bokksumarket.com/collections/bokksu-originals-japanese-candy-bites/products/sour-yuzu-candy-bites== Fans of sour candies will particularly enjoy these treats and may even consider them the best candies they've ever had. They're perfect for sharing with company or enjoying whenever you need a pick-me-up. These candy bites are ideal as a gift for yourself or loved ones! Crafted to Share (or Keep to Yourself) Perhaps you can't choose or agree on a flavor, with this Japanese Candy Bites Duo: White Strawberry & Sour Yuzu, you don't have to. This combined option includes a box of each flavor, ensuring both sweet and sour cravings are satisfied. With their beautiful, premium packaging highlighting the appearance of the yuzu and strawberry candy, these treats offer the ultimate sweet experience. Each box includes a 1.5-3oz bag of airy, crispy, fruity candies, making them fun to enjoy and easy to share. Whether you want to enjoy these treats on your own or spread the joy of premium Japanese fruit flavors to family and friends, you'll have more than enough at the ready! Freeze-Dried = Flavor Locked In One of the best methods for preserving not only the nutrients but also the flavor and essence of rare fruits is freeze-drying. It's a process that gently dehydrates fruits, resulting in a crispy (not chewy) texture and a bold, fresh fruit taste. Once freeze-dried, these fruits are shelf-stable for years, extending their usual shelf life of a few days or weeks. Not only are these freeze-dried fruits great on their own, but they're also delicious when added to candy, cereal, trail mix, and more. ==https://bokksumarket.com/collections/bokksu-originals-japanese-candy-bites/products/sour-yuzu-freeze-dried-candy-bites-4-pack== Shop Exclusives Before They're Gone Here's your chance to try rare Japanese fruits in a unique candy form! These exclusive freeze-dried candies are a limited-edition offering, making them a must-buy before they're gone. Take this as your sign to add them to your cart and enjoy while they're still available - you won't be disappointed! A Taste of Japan's Finest in Every Bite As two of Japan's most beloved rare fruits, Japanese yuzu and white strawberries are a must-try. Their delightful flavors and aromas provide an exciting tasting experience with every bite. While it can be challenging to get them shipped outside of Japan, these freeze-dried candies offer the ability to indulge in these premium fruits (without the high price tag!). Whether you choose the yuzu, white strawberry, or half yuzu half white strawberry option, you'll enjoy the rich traditions of Japanese cuisine in every bite. Once you receive the Japanese yuzu and white strawberry candies, feel free to share your snack stories on social media. Include #Bokksumarket on your post, and join the discussion around Bokksu Market's snacks!