Kaki

Another oriental intruder, a tree of great splendour in winter. The fruits, pale green when they first appear, turn to burning gold and remain on the tree long after its leaves have fallen. The landscape of the Tiber Valley is illuminated by them and so are the narrower valleys between Naples and Benevento in late autumn. They falsely recall the Golden Apples of the Hesperides.

A favourite winter fruit, eaten when very ripe, the sign being the cracking of the delicate skin. The Japanese sculptor, Inoué Yukichi, told me that in Japan they are left on the bough until there is a heavy frost, the soft luscious pulp becomes frozen, and they are eaten on the spot, iced. At home, cut them in half and eat with a spoon.