Raw Fruit Black Vinegar with Blueberries is a limited-production fruit vinegar made by infusing fresh blueberries in Fukuyama Black Vinegar’s Kakuida black vinegar.
Kakuida black vinegar is made using specially cultivated rice, with particular attention paid to both the ingredients and production methods by the master vinegar brewer. The blueberries are grown on the company’s own farms in Aso, Kumamoto Prefecture, and Okuchi, Kagoshima Prefecture, where careful cultivation practices are used to produce high-quality fruit.
The fresh blueberries contribute a pleasant balance of sweetness and tartness, while the three-year-aged Kakuida black vinegar adds savory depth through its rich amino acid content.
This product is made with whole fresh blueberries, including their skins. It does not use blueberry paste or extracts, and no additives are used.
By infusing the actual fruit in black vinegar, the product preserves the fresh, fruity character of the blueberries and combines it with the mellow, complex flavor developed through the vinegar’s long aging process.
For a refreshing drink, dilute the vinegar approximately four times with cold water or soda water. The resulting drink combines the fruity acidity of blueberries with the rich flavor of aged black vinegar.
It can also be mixed with milk for a milder, creamier taste. Another recommended way to enjoy it is with yogurt: use it as a dessert sauce to bring out the yogurt’s flavor and add a pleasant fruity sweetness.
Kakuida is a brown rice black vinegar nurtured by the natural environment of Fukuyama in Kagoshima. It is made with high-quality domestic brown rice and koji, using the area’s spring water and taking advantage of its warm climate and favorable natural conditions.
The vinegar is fermented and aged in specially made ceramic pots. These include custom-ordered vessels made from Shigaraki ware in Shiga Prefecture and Iwami ware in Shimane Prefecture.
The black vinegar is prepared twice a year, in spring and autumn, by a specialist known as a kurozu toji, or black vinegar master brewer.
Spring water from Fukuyama, koji, and rice are placed in the ceramic pots. The brewer then carries out a process called furikoji, in which dried koji is evenly sprinkled over the surface of the liquid.
The pots are lined up outdoors, where the vinegar slowly ferments and matures while being exposed to the warmth of the sun during the day and the cool air at night. Kakuida black vinegar is aged for at least three years, longer than ordinary black vinegar. This extended aging gives it a deeper color and a more aromatic, full-bodied flavor.
Raw Fruit Black Vinegar with Blueberries is made entirely by hand and brewed in limited quantities. Because it is a seasonal, limited-production item, it is available only for a restricted period and in limited numbers.
Its combination of fresh local fruit and carefully aged Kagoshima black vinegar makes it a distinctive specialty to look for when exploring the region’s food products.