Characteristics and Taste Differences of Common Strawberry Varieties: Toyonoka, Kaorino, Benihoppe, and White Strawberry
The 6-day Spring Festival holiday has just ended, but don't think this year's strawberry season is over too. The cultivation and management techniques for potted strawberries are quite simple. Due to unusual weather this year, the second flush of strawberries is a month late, and they are only now entering mass production. The current average price is around 300 yuan per Taiwanese catty.
The 6-day Spring Festival holiday has just ended, but don't think this year's strawberry season is over too. The cultivation and management techniques for potted strawberries are quite simple. Due to unusual weather this year, the second flush of strawberries is a month late, and they are only now entering mass production. The current average price is around 300 yuan per Taiwanese catty!
Bright red, drippingly luscious strawberries all look pretty much the same, making it hard to tell them apart. But can you distinguish the varieties by their appearance and taste? A reporter visited Dahu in person and discovered that the familiar strawberry flavor we know is "Toyonoka," that most of the ones placed on cakes are "Kaorino," and that there are other super special flavors too. Next time you come to pick strawberries, you can choose according to your personal preference!
1. Toyonoka
The most common variety and the mainstream choice at strawberry farms. Reddish and glossy, with many wrinkles on the surface, high sweetness, and on the soft and juicy side, it is the strawberry taste you remember. Small ones are mostly conical. When it blooms, the first fruit can grow to the size of a palm. "Mountain Love Strawberry Farm," perched high up, plants a large amount of Toyonoka on 6 fen of land, and its strawberries are sweet, fragrant, and juicy, earning considerable praise. The owner, Wei Yilan, says giant strawberries are a chance encounter, not something you can count on, and last year one even grew into a butterfly shape.
2. Kaorino
Among all varieties, Kaorino is the easiest to grow. The fruit is large and long, with a smooth surface, and the texture is on the crisp and chewy side. It is not so sweet, which happens to balance out the sweetness, and that is why it is the variety cake makers like to use. The owner of "Nini Strawberry Farm," which grows Japanese strawberries, offers a selection tip: "The redder the Toyonoka, the tastier; the plumper the Kaorino, the sweeter."
3. White Strawberry (Peach)
Many people don't know that you don't have to fly to Japan to taste white strawberries! The exterior is pale pink and the inside is white flesh, making it quite easy to identify. Bite into one, and a rich peach aroma bursts out instantly. Compared with other varieties, it is softer and juicier. After being successfully developed in 2014, it has already been mass-produced in the Dahu area. "Happiness Berry Full Strawberry Farm" offers sweet white strawberries. White strawberries carry a peach aroma and have soft, tender, juicy flesh. Even flies find its charm hard to resist.
4. Benihoppe
"Beauties have been ill-fated since ancient times." Just like the old saying, Benihoppe has a high seedling mortality rate, is hard to cultivate, and is also scarce in number, so fruit farmers mostly do not encourage its promotion. The fruit is large, with a rich aroma and a faint longan honey fragrance, offering layers of complexity. Seasoned customers always specifically ask to try it. Currently, "Nini Strawberry Farm" and "Happiness Berry Full Strawberry Farm" have a small amount of Benihoppe. It is recommended to call ahead to confirm. Benihoppe strawberries have a rich aroma and a strong sense of layering, and are scarce because they are difficult to grow.
There are also others such as Xingxiang, Mixiang, and Japanese strawberries. A reminder for visitors: each variety has its own strengths. This is only a simple identification guide. Try more and ask more, and anyone can become a strawberry expert.
