Iyokan
Iyokan | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Iyokan | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | |
(unranked): | |
(unranked): | |
(unranked): | |
Order: | |
Family: | |
Genus: | |
Species: | Citrus × iyo
|
The iyokan (伊予柑 - Citrus × iyo), also known as anadomikan (穴門みかん) and Gokaku no Iyokan,[1] is a Japanese citrus fruit, similar in appearance to a mandarin orange, arising from a cross between the Dancy tangerine and another mandarin variety, the kaikoukan.[2] It is the second most widely produced citrus fruit in Japan after the satsuma mandarin.[citation needed]
Iyokan was discovered in Yamaguchi Prefecture during the Meiji era.[citation needed] Nowadays it mostly grows in Ehime Prefecture. Iyokan are named after Ehime Prefecture which was once called "Iyo-no-kuni" (literal meaning: Iyo Country).[3]
Description
The peel is thicker than a mikan, but it can be peeled by hand. The skin is very shiny and brightly colored and, once peeled, the flesh gives off a very strong scent.[3] The flesh is slightly sour and more bitter than an orange, but sweeter than a grapefruit.[citation needed]
There is a variation grown into a pentagon shape to promote good luck and to revive the popularity of the fruit[4], also giving it another nickname, Gokaku no Iyokan, which translates into "Pentagonal Iyokan"[5] It is sometimes placed into fish feed to mask the fishy flavor.[6]
In Japan, the citrus can be seen during springtime as a seasonal KitKat flavor with messages of "good luck" to students studying for exams on each packet. The name "iyokan" is also a near-homophone for "good feeling" in Japanese, and is used as such in its marketing.[7]
See also
References
- ^ "Japanese farmers create pentagon-shaped oranges". whatsonxiamen.com.
- ^ Shimizu, Tokurou; Kitajima, Akira; Nonaka, Keisuke; Yoshioka, Terutaka; Ohta, Satoshi; Goto, Shingo; Toyoda, Atsushi; Fujiyama, Asao; Mochizuki, Takako; Nagasaki, Hideki; Kaminuma, Eli; Nakamura, Yasukazu (2016). "Hybrid Origins of Citrus Varieties Inferred from DNA Marker Analysis of Nuclear and Organelle Genomes". PLOS ONE. 11 (11): e0166969. Bibcode:2016PLoSO..1166969S. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0166969. PMC 5130255. PMID 27902727.
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link) - ^ a b "Ehime Citrus fruits > Varieties of Ehime Citrus fruits > Iyokan". ehimemikan.asia. Archived from the original on 2014-02-03. Retrieved 2014-01-19.
- ^ "五角形伊予柑で合格めざす! 「五格いよかん」 日土橘4Hクラブ". ニュース (in Japanese). Retrieved 2019-02-04.
- ^ "Pentagon Shaped Iyokan Citrus Fruits". Design You Trust. Design, Culture & Society. Archived from the original on 2014-01-22. Retrieved 2014-01-19.
- ^ "To tickle the taste buds, try farmed fish raised on local specialties". AJW by The Asahi Shimbun. Archived from the original on 2014-02-02. Retrieved 2014-01-19.
- ^ "受験生応援". 【公式】 ネスレ通販オンラインショップ (in Japanese). Retrieved 2019-02-04.