Ginko nuts, ginnan in Japanese, are a common ingredient in Japanese cooking. They have pale yellow flesh that is firm and smooth, in a white outer shell. Often, they are added to stir fries as a meat substitute or placed at the bottom of chawanmushi (steamed savoury egg custard), but they can also be eaten after simply roasting in the shell. If the nuts are not eaten right away, they tend to spoil in a couple of days or dry up. As a result, the flesh is often canned or dried for a longer shelf life.
Ginko nuts are the fruit of the ginko tree, also known as the Maidenhair tree, a native of China.