Protected local food
Tsuruta Steuben Grapes
つるたスチューベン
Very sweet black grapes from Tsuruta in Aomori, at 18 Brix or more. They keep so well that they are sold fresh from October until about February.
Key facts
- Registered as a protected name
- 20 March 2019
- Region
- Tohoku
- Official name in Japanese
- つるたスチューベン
- Official area (in Japanese)
- 青森県北津軽郡鶴田町、板柳町（小幡、野中、掛落林、柏木、牡丹森）、五所川原市七ツ館、つがる市柏桑野木田
A New York grape in Tsugaru
Steuben is a grape bred in New York State. Tsuruta, on the Tsugaru plain of Aomori, has rainfall and temperatures much like New York's, and the 8 to 10°C gap between day and night during the season pushes the sugar to 18 degrees Brix or more.
Fresh grapes in winter
The bunches are large and packed with full berries, which helps them keep. Growers use a training method developed in Tsugaru and storage know-how learned from apples. As a result Tsuruta Steuben stay fresh from the October harvest until around February, one of the few Japanese grapes still sold after New Year, at high prices.
How to eat it
Eat them as they are, chilled. Their deep sweetness and grapey aroma will feel familiar to anyone who knows Concord grapes.
Good to know
- Look for them in Aomori from autumn through winter. Tsuruta also has a roadside station that sells grape products.
- In Aomori, also try Aomori Black Garlic and Jusanko Yamato Shijimi.
Questions travellers ask
When are they in season?
Harvested in October and sold fresh until around February.
Are they like Concord grapes?
They are a related American-type black grape, very sweet with a strong grape aroma.
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.