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星柿（Hoshigaki），也就是我們在英語中所知道的日本柿乾，是一種流行的日本季節性零食，主要在秋季製作，此時您可以在全國各地和超市中看到結滿鮮豔橙色果實的柿子樹。
柿子原產於中國，在日語中稱為柿子，在日本和韓國很常見，乾燥後可製成甜甜的天然零食。
在日本，星垣被認為可以帶來好運，人們經常在元旦吃星垣，日文稱為「Hagatamame」。
星垣的製作方法
為了製作星柿，需要手工對脫水柿子進行按摩，這是一個勞動密集且漫長的過程，需要 4 至 6 週的時間才能作為零食食用。柿子雖然有上百個品種，但主要有澀性和非澀性兩大類，兩者的味道可以有很大不同。
澀柿子太硬了，在成熟之前不能吃，在這之前味道極苦。這種柿子含有單寧酸，會產生強烈的苦味，這種柿子在日文中被稱為「hachiya」。這種不澀的柿子品種在日語中被稱為“fuyu”，即使在有點硬的情況下，味道也很甜。這兩類柿子從形狀上很容易區分，八屋柿子的外觀比較尖，而冬柿子則比較圓，形狀類似小南瓜。
製作星柿時，會使用澀味的柿子或八穀。首先，將柿子的頂部切掉，同時保留莖部，然後剝皮。然後用繩子將柿子的莖綁在一起，掛在陽光充足的窗戶上。在日本，冬季，尤其是在農村地區，您經常可以看到它們掛在竹竿上。
在開始每日按摩過程之前，必須將柿子靜置一週。這種按摩是一個微妙的過程，從輕觸開始，然後逐漸加強擠壓。幾週後，一旦表面形成一層粉狀白糖，柿子變成焦橙色，就可以食用了。一旦可以食用，星垣可以在密封容器中或冷凍保存約幾個月。
日本柿子在日本哪裡種植？
儘管日本各地都有柿子樹，但也有幾個地區專門生產柿子或柿子樹。例如，山形、新潟、奈良等縣都是柿子的主要產區。其他受歡迎的日本柿子品種分佈在福島、山梨縣和富山，而最著名的品種是長野縣的城市。
據說“Ichida-kaki”或“Ichidagaki”在日本也被稱為“Ichida-kaki”，有著悠久的歷史。這種星垣產於長野縣高森小鎮，其產業歷史可追溯至 500 多年前。 1920 年代，該地區開始因其星垣而聞名，當時當地農民想出了“Ichidagaki”這個名字，並開始在東京和大阪等全國主要城市銷售星垣。
高森的地理位置非常適合生產柿子。位於日本阿爾卑斯山周圍山脈形成的盆地中，靠近天龍川，溫度和濕度非常適合生產星垣。每年十月底和十一月收穫柿子，然後開始將其變成星柿。
全柿乾的營養價值
原始狀態的柿子富含纖維、維生素 A、維生素 C 和礦物質，但在乾燥過程中會損失大部分維生素 C。儘管脂肪含量低且完全天然，但值得注意的是，星垣的卡路里含量相當高，每份約 90-100 卡路里。
星垣的吃法
星垣可以單獨作為零食食用，也可以用於其他菜餚。單獨食用時，通常與綠茶搭配，星垣的甜味與抹茶的苦味形成鮮明對比。它還可以用於沙拉或添加到蛋糕和冰淇淋等甜點中，並且是傳統日本甜點和果子中的流行成分。
近年來，星垣在日本以外的地區越來越受歡迎，目前在廚師和千禧世代中很流行，出現在時尚餐廳的菜單以及許多 Instagram 上。如果您想知道在日本境外哪裡可以購買日本柿乾，您可以在線購買長野縣生產的優質市田柿品種 這裡.
或者，如果您想嘗試製作自己的星垣，您可以嘗試參加線上研討會，了解乾燥過程的工作原理，然後再自己製作。例如，駐美國的烹飪教練 酒井園子 在秋季舉辦線上課程，您可以學習如何採摘、剝皮、懸掛和按摩柿子，直到它們可以食用為止，從而製作出美味的小吃或獨特的手工禮物。除了日本之外，美國加州和南歐等多個西方國家也種植柿子，所以為什麼不嘗試呢！
64 評論
Hi Chuck, thanks for sharing! We hope that you’ll have better luck the next time you eat a persimmon and that it will be just as good as a chocolate persimmon!
Japanese Taste,
The texture of a raw persimmon is like a hard peach. I have a hybrid persimmon tree which produces chocolate persimmons. A chocolate persimmon is one that has been pollinated. As soon as it develops it is ready to eat and is the sweetest persimmon I have ever eaten. Normally, about 10% of the total fruit on the tree will be chocolate. This year was a bad year. It was quite hot and the fruit ripened before it was mature. We got very few chocolates. You will not find chocolates in the marketplace because it is impossible to tell if it is chocolate until you have cut it open. This year we had close to 500 fruit on the chocolate tree but only about 25 chocolates. I dry the non-pollinated fruit by peeling it and cutting it in quarters and placing the quarters on a cookie cooling sheet with 3/8 " squares. I place them in the sun under a picnic food tent. The white one is best for drying them. It takes about 3 days in the hot late autumn SoCal sun to dry them to where they are sweet to eat. They are not dried in the sense that they are leathery. They are still soft but have turned sweet. You can also sweeten then by freezing them in your refrigerator or by drying them in a food dryer or your oven on its lowest setting. When you dry them in the oven you will see the white tannin running out of the fruit. Time in the oven depends upon how low your lowest setting is. Usually about 4 – 5 hours in my oven.
This afternoon my wife and I shared a fuyu that I purchased at Costco. I think it was picked before it was ripe. It was not as sweet as the fuyu I get off my fuyu tree and not nearly as sweet as the chocolates. It was okay but nothing to rave about.
I have had my kaki trees for about 40 years. It took them almost half that time in order to bear fruit. I have heard that in Japan it is at least 14 years before they bear good fruit in any quantity.
Chuck,
Hi Jenny, hoshigaki are slightly sweeter and are chewier compared to raw persimmons. In particular, the persimmons used for these hoshigaki (Ishida persimmons) are said to have a moderate sweetness and chewy texture, yet melt in your mouth as soon as you take a bite.
Japanese Taste,
Thank you for the great information! I’m sorry if I missed this, but what do they taste like, in comparison to a raw persimmon?
Jenny,
Hi Chuck, thanks for sharing! We hope that you’ll have better luck the next time you eat a persimmon and that it will be just as good as a chocolate persimmon!
Japanese Taste,
The texture of a raw persimmon is like a hard peach. I have a hybrid persimmon tree which produces chocolate persimmons. A chocolate persimmon is one that has been pollinated. As soon as it develops it is ready to eat and is the sweetest persimmon I have ever eaten. Normally, about 10% of the total fruit on the tree will be chocolate. This year was a bad year. It was quite hot and the fruit ripened before it was mature. We got very few chocolates. You will not find chocolates in the marketplace because it is impossible to tell if it is chocolate until you have cut it open. This year we had close to 500 fruit on the chocolate tree but only about 25 chocolates. I dry the non-pollinated fruit by peeling it and cutting it in quarters and placing the quarters on a cookie cooling sheet with 3/8 " squares. I place them in the sun under a picnic food tent. The white one is best for drying them. It takes about 3 days in the hot late autumn SoCal sun to dry them to where they are sweet to eat. They are not dried in the sense that they are leathery. They are still soft but have turned sweet. You can also sweeten then by freezing them in your refrigerator or by drying them in a food dryer or your oven on its lowest setting. When you dry them in the oven you will see the white tannin running out of the fruit. Time in the oven depends upon how low your lowest setting is. Usually about 4 – 5 hours in my oven.
This afternoon my wife and I shared a fuyu that I purchased at Costco. I think it was picked before it was ripe. It was not as sweet as the fuyu I get off my fuyu tree and not nearly as sweet as the chocolates. It was okay but nothing to rave about.
I have had my kaki trees for about 40 years. It took them almost half that time in order to bear fruit. I have heard that in Japan it is at least 14 years before they bear good fruit in any quantity.
Chuck,