Protected local food
Date Anpo Gaki
伊達のあんぽ柿
A soft, semi-dried persimmon from Date in Fukushima, the birthplace of anpo-gaki. Bright orange, jelly-soft inside and gently sweet.
Key facts
- Registered as a protected name
- 31 January 2023
- Region
- Tohoku
- Official name in Japanese
- 伊達のあんぽ柿
- Official area (in Japanese)
- 福島県伊達市、国見町、桑折町、福島市の立子山・飯坂・宮代・岡部・大笹生・大波、川俣町の飯坂、宮城県白石市の越河・大平
Soft inside, bright orange
Anpo-gaki is a persimmon dried only part of the way, so the flesh stays soft, smooth and almost jelly-like. It keeps a glossy, bright orange colour and a refined sweetness. In winter, rows of persimmons hang to dry like orange curtains, a sight locals call kakibase.
Where anpo-gaki began
The Fukushima basin, ringed by the Abukuma hills and the Ou mountains, has big swings between day and night and little rain, good for growing and drying persimmons. After the Meiji Restoration, people here began calling their sun-dried persimmons anpo-gaki, a name from local dialect. In the Taisho era (1912 to 1926) they developed sulphur smoking to keep the colour, and Date is known as the birthplace of anpo-gaki.
How to eat it
Eat it chilled, as it is, with green tea. It is softer and moister than most dried fruit.
Good to know
- Anpo-gaki is a winter product, sold in Fukushima from about December. Look in station shops in Fukushima city.
- Compare with other dried persimmons: Ichida Kaki and Dojo Hachiya Kaki.
- In Fukushima, also try Aizu Jidori.
Questions travellers ask
What is anpo-gaki?
A semi-dried persimmon, dried only partly so the inside stays soft and moist.
Where is it made?
In Date, Kunimi and nearby towns of Fukushima Prefecture, and part of Shiroishi in Miyagi.
Where it comes from
More protected foods from the same area
Crafts from the same area
Heritage stories from the same area
Sources
We checked the facts on this page against these sources.