13. Akebi Fruit - the prettiest things often lack substance
This magical looking fruit is only found in the north of Japan and only appears for a few weeks a year in early autumn.
Once thought of as scavenger food, it is now cultivated and sold mainly in specialised fruit shops in Japan – no doubt for a lot of money! The Akebi fruit is made up of a striking purple pod which contains a cloudy white flesh inside.
It also contains a large amount of small edible black seeds which are hard to remove.
As the fruit itself is not particularly sweet, it can be used in both sweet and savoury dishes. Culinary wiz kids all over Japan have done everything from stuffing it to deep frying it.