Fruit
Akebi
アケビ あけび akebi
Also known asakebi
At its best in Sep, Oct
When it is at its best
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
In seasonAvailable
How to cook
Eaten fresh
The pulp is spooned out. Sweet, with many seeds.
Stuffed skin
The skin is filled with minced meat and miso, then grilled. A Yamagata speciality.
Stir-fried skin
The skin is sliced and stir-fried. The faint bitterness is the point.
Tempura
The skin is battered and fried, which softens the bitterness.
How to choose
Skin that has turned purple and is beginning to split, with white, glossy pulp.
Storage
Keeps a few days at room temperature. Eat split fruit soon. Refrigerate the skin.
Main areas
Good to know
Yamagata grows most of Japan's crop. The pulp is sweet and full of seeds; the skin is faintly bitter and is treated there as a vegetable, stuffed or stir-fried. The name is said to come from the way the fruit splits open when ripe.
