Recently our station newspaper ran a short blurb about white strawberries. I am so intrigued to try these strange fruits. (Yes, I know Europe has them, but I've never seen them so to me they are exciting.) Unfortunately, I cannot find them anywhere! Either way, I thought I would share the cultural significance of these odd berries.
White strawberries, also called hatsukoi no kaori, or "Scent of First Love" in Japan, are considered a sweet delicacy. They are in highest demand during spring and are showing up in more supermarkets in recent years. The strawberries are the result of creative minds at Miyoshi Agritech Co., who have been developing new varieties of strawberries for more than 20 years. Although the pale fruit looks unripe, their taste is amazingly sweet and rich. The color on the surface and the inside are white, but the seeds are red. They have become very popular gift items at weddings, birthdays and births. This craved fruit doesn't come cheap though. Average prices for the berry round to approximately 500 yen a pop. Source.
It may be too early in the season for them, but I shall keep a lookout. Additional research says they taste similar to a pineapple and are commonly called "pineberries." At 500 yen a piece ($5.55 at today's rate) they must be pretty spectacular.
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