Hiroshima City

The mild climate and low rainfall of Hiroshima are ideal for growing citrus fruits. In fact, the prefecture is the biggest producer of lemons in Japan, cultivating more than half of all the lemons in the country. Purchasing lemon-based souvenirs is a great way to bring the characteristic flavor of Hiroshima back home with you. 1. Cake The hub of lemon production in Hiroshima is a town called Setoda. The signature product from the town is Setoda lemon cake, available from shops throughout the prefecture. This is a type of madeleine in the shape of a lemon that uses every part of the fruit. There are chunks of peel in the dough, and the cake is filled with lemon jam (instead of the azuki bean filling you find in most traditional confectionary). 2. Meringue Another excellent choice for those with a sweet tooth is meringue. It’s similar to the Japanese ramune candies in terms of flavor and texture — but it’s much better because it has a strong aroma of fresh lemons and even features some lemon rind. 3. Hot Sauce An alternative to Tabasco sauce is Lemosco: a hot sauce made from lemons, seaweed salt called moshio (also from…