Peaches - Trails to Oishii Tokyo

Tokyo. This world-class metropolis is a veritable gourmet wonderland. Discover the stories behind the ingredients that make this city so delicious, so oishii. Peaches, with their lovely fragrance, announced the arrival of summer. Over 100 peach varieties are grown across Japan. From mid-June to October, different varieties are in season about every two weeks or so. Through years of selective breeding, Japanese peaches have become especially large, sweet and juicy. Their outstanding flavor and quality have driven ever increasing exports to Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and beyond. They're eaten fresh of course, but are also cooked in various ways. Our Belgian reporter Saskia teaches fashion at a graduate school and is a researcher of Japanese kimono. This time we delve into the world of peaches, beautiful and tasty. Trails to oishii Tokyo. Hi, this is Saskia. Today's episode is all about peaches or momo in Japanese. In Belgium, I've had my fair share of yellow peaches, but I must be honest, I haven't really had the chance to indulge myself in Japanese momo, so I'm really excited to find out. Let's go. Her journey begins at a cafe known for its peach-based sweets. Over a homemade custard pudding goes a refreshing herbal tea jelly, then pieces of 10 seasonal fruits for a colorful finish. The peach is blanched, then chilled in ice water to make it easy to peel. Finally, a whole peach is placed on This is so much fun. I always say I'll cut it when I'm done taking pictures. Oh, really? That's great. This is so much fun. A whole peach. Saskia can't put her camera down. After the photo shoot, the peach is cut into pieces. She uses carefully selected peaches from Yamanashi, known for their high sugar content. Itadakimasu. Savoring a peach parfait with cream and pudding is its own special joy. It's really good. So you first taste the momo, and then the sweetness of the pudding comes in together with the refreshing flavor of the jelly. But they don't get into each other's way. It's really good. They really create this nice and sweet and round flavor. Delicious. I think there are about 100 different types of momo, but the aroma, the firmness, the juiciness, and the texture of the fruits are quite different depending on the variety, so I think the best part is that you can enjoy a variety of I see. So there are that many types. I see. Peaches come in many varieties. Last year, this shop alone used as many as 20 different kinds. Each variety has its own unique flavor. When it comes to Japanese peaches, there's a lot to discover. To learn more, Sasuke heads to Ota Market. Its produce department handles the largest volume in the country. July is peak season for peaches. The facility is buzzing with activity. At this time of year, auctions begin at 7.05 each morning. There are many types of peaches in Japan. There are about 5 to 10 varieties of peaches. That's quite a lot. Yes, there are about 20 varieties in Japan. That's how popular they are. Yes, there are many varieties. At his company, each type of veggie has its own person in charge. For fruits, responsibilities are divided by production area. It's all peaches. They're so big. Wow. These are all peaches. It's really nice. You can really smell them. Very sweet. The eyes are red, but when you cut them, they're white. It's a white peach. I think that's the most common type of peach in Japan. Golden peaches are famous for their yellow color. But there are fewer and fewer of them around here. The majority of them are over here. White peaches are tender and best enjoyed fresh. Yellow peaches are firmer and better suited for processing. Nectarines, with smooth skin and no fuzz, are tart and can be eaten whole. Flat, disc-shaped peaches are a common sight in Europe during summer. If there are so many varieties, do peaches take a long time to grow? The peach season starts around mid-June. The varieties change, and the last peach season is around mid-September. In Yamanashi, available peach varieties change about every two weeks. The later in the season white peaches are harvested, the sweeter and firmer they become. Peaches apparently came from China, which produces 60% of the world's supply. In Japan, seeds have been found in ruins from the 2nd and 3rd centuries, and they appear in the country's oldest texts. Once grown mainly for ornamental use, peaches began to spread as a food crop in the late 19th century. They were hard and sour at first, but with repeated breeding, they became the large, sweet and juicy fruit we enjoy today. Saskia heads to Yamanashi, just west of Tokyo. It's Japan's top peach producer. With long hours of sunshine and little rainfall year-round, Yamanashi is ideal for fruit cultivation and is known as the Fruit Kingdom. She'll visit a farmer in the middle of harvest. Meet Ono Akiyoshi, an orchard owner who grows 25 types of peaches. When the peaches turn red, it's time to harvest. Also, when you see these dots, it's a sign that the peaches have turned sweet. The peach is telling you to pick it up. That's when it's time to harvest. How many peaches can you pick with one tree? About 500 to 1,000 peaches. 1,000? Actually, there are more. When it comes to flowers, it's said that you can grow up to 200,000 peaches with one tree. Wait, 200,000? Yes. With just one tree? Yes. If you leave 200,000 peaches, they all turn into small fruits. From there, the number decreases. In the end, it's about 500 to 1,000 peaches. In spring, when buds start to swell, growers thin them out. When their flowers bloom, some of those are picked off as well. Then, once the tree bears fruit, growers carefully choose which ones to remove. Thinning buds, flowers, and fruit at every stage lets the remaining peaches grow large and sweet. What are these? These are straws. Straws? Yes. What are they for? In the summer, they hold down the grass, so it's easier to work with. In the winter, they prevent the trees from drying out. They dry out? That's right. If you spread them out, you can see the inside is damp. Oh, I see. It's damp. It's also a good place for small organisms and microorganisms to live. Organisms that improve the soil can live there. If the soil improves, the trees will grow well and become delicious peaches. They play an important role. I see. In the end, it's not garbage, but fertilizer for the field. It's good. It's a very good material. It's a natural material. Yes. He trains the trees so their branches spread wide. This way, the peaches get even sunlight and good air circulation. For varieties that are slow to turn red, he lays reflective sheets on the ground to shine light from below. This tree is nice, too. It's beautiful. This is an Asamahakuto tree. Asamahakuto? Yes. Since we're here, do you want to pick something you think is good? Can I? Yes, go ahead. What should I pick? Go ahead. Pick the ones on the outside. That one. Yes. That one. Yes, that one. That one is definitely good. This one looks good, too. Yes, it does. I see. If it bears fruit, it means it has a high sugar content. Peaches are usually good at 12 degrees, but this one is over 20 degrees. Can you pick peaches with a high sugar content? Only a little. About 3%. That's really low. Yes. I see. It's like a treasure. Yes, it is. Wow. While carefully checking shape and color, they look for peaches with a sugar content of 20 degrees or higher. Okay, I'm done. Good. Okay. That's good. I got 5 peaches. They look pretty sweet. Time to measure their sugar content. 20.1. Wow. And now for a taste test. The fruit of Ono's efforts. First up is the one Sasuke picked. It's juicy. Yes, it is. Wow. It's really juicy. Wow. Okay. Let's eat. It's sweet. It's soft. It looks pretty sweet. Yes, it is. It's good. It's really good. This is great. It melts in your mouth. Yes, it does. Next is Madoka. Okay. It's hard. Yes, it is. It sounds like an apple. Yes, it does. The flesh is pink. Pink. It's pretty. It's good. It sounds different. Yes, it does. It's fun to see how different the texture is. Yes, it is. The skin is pretty. It's a hairy peach. It's yellow. Yes, it is. Okay. Let's eat. It's soft. It's good. It's great. I expected it to be sour, but it's sweet. It's like vanilla. This is great. It's different from nectarines I've eaten before. There are a lot of nectarines overseas, but this is unique. It's good. It melts in your mouth. Yes. It's really good. It's good. Back in Tokyo, Sasukia heads to the gourmet district of Azabu-Juban. She'll try peaches in Japanese cuisine. Owner Ogawa Takahisa is a huge fan of peaches. What's so special about them? I can't stop eating the juiciness. The juiciness spreads in my mouth. What's a peach dish that regular customers look forward to every year? Thank you for waiting. This is peach tempura. It's amazing. It's hot, so be careful. It looks hot. You make it into tempura? Yes. It's amazing. Let's eat. This is delicious. It's crispy. Yes, it's crispy, so it's more delicious. It's a little hard, so the moisture doesn't escape. The outside is crispy, so if the inside is too soft, the moisture will escape. The sugar is extracted more. But it's soft. It's like mirin. Yes, it's soft. It's surprising, but if you add a little salt, it's salty and sweet. Next, Ogawa pairs peach with hamo, a luxury summer fish. First, he'll cut through the tiny bones to make it easier to eat. He slices the tender meat off the skin. These peaches have been soaked in broth for a whole day. He cuts them into thin slices. Fresh hamo is placed on top of the peach slices. What kind of flavor will this create? The pink garnish is pickled plum. It's amazing. It's different from when I made tempura. It's sweet, sour, and salty. Yes, it is. Everything comes out in order. It's great. This is very refreshing. The meat is very refreshing. The texture is soft. The hamo is sliced and skinned, so it melts in your mouth. It's great. This is a Japanese pepper flower pickled in soy sauce. It's great. It's delicious. It's a matter of preference. I like both. If you don't soak it, it'll be a little blurry. It's true. If it's just sweet, it might be a little bland. That's right. It's a little bland, but if you soak it and eat it as a whole, you can taste the peach. The balance is very good. Peaches and Japanese cuisine. A pairing that opens the door to new possibilities. Saskia's Final Stop is a restaurant that's praised locally and abroad for its innovative cuisine. Executive chef Nao makes abundant use of fruit in her dishes. In the first dish, she'll use duck cooked at a low temperature. The peach is of the Hakuho variety, known for its refined sweetness and juiciness. She scoops out small portions. I add lemon and cardamom. The combination of peach and cardamom is very good. Place fromage blanc sauce on the plate, then add the duck on top. Finish with fresh peach flavored with cardamom and cover it with a jelly made from peach extract and bergamot liqueur. This is a plate of duck. I'll finish it off with peach sauce. It's beautiful. The sauce is made from pieces left over after scooping. A 100% peach sauce. Itadakimasu. When you bite into it, it spreads in your mouth. It's very juicy. The duck adds a bit of chewiness. It's salty and sweet. It's a good balance. It's delicious. In Belgium, people eat duck and rabbit with fruits. It reminds me of that. It's delicious. I'm glad to hear that. I wanted to bring out the sweetness of the peach. The duck adds a bit of saltiness and umami. When you eat it together, it's like a healing effect. It spreads in your mouth. It's really delicious. Thank you. What will she make with peaches now? She's heating pieces in butter. Lobster cooked at a low temperature with herbs is then also sautéed in butter. The lightly charred peaches are plated with celeriac puree. It's beautiful. Enjoy with von Blanc sauce with peach extract. It's amazing. What about the peach? This is it. It looks like a potato. It does look like a potato. But it's a sautéed peach. Let's eat. The lobster is the main dish. The more you chew, the sweeter the peach is. It softens the lobster. It removes the fishy taste. It's delicious. It's really delicious. I like it. I like the texture of the lobster. I like the soft texture of the peach. It's a contrast. That's right. I use exactly the same type of peach. But by heating it, the sweetness changes. And the juice comes out differently. So I use it as a plate. I see. I can totally understand. I totally understand. I'm happy. Japanese peaches. Sweet, juicy, large, and offering a variety of textures. Qualities vary greatly by region and producer, making them a true delicacy. Perfect to enjoy fresh, yet cooking with them reveals new and inspirational charms. In Tokyo, every ingredient has its own story.