What are Persimmons?
Part of our Ultimate Guide to Fruits and Vegetables. Click to see more answers to your questions.
Persimmons are a common fruit found in East Asian cuisine as well as that of the southern United States. Depending on the variety, the fruits range from 1.5 to 12 cm (1/2 inch to about 5 inches) in diameter and have a yellow, orange, or red color. When ripe, they have a sweet flavor and can be eaten raw or cooked. These fruits represent good fortune in China, where most of the world’s supply is grown. In the US, persimmon trees grow primarily in the South and Southeast, and the fruits can be found in Southern and Indigenous cuisines.
Common varieties
The ways to select, prepare, and eat persimmons depends largely on the variety. While there are many types of persimmons, here are the most common:
Hachiya (Diospyros kaki ‘Hachiya’): These persimmons are characterized by an oblong, acorn-like shape and their soft texture. When Hachiyas are ripe, they should be soft, slippery, and sweet.
American (Diospyros virginiana): These persimmons are incredibly sweet when ripe and should be eaten once their skin has become wrinkled and the fruit feels mushy.
Purchasing, preparing, and eating persimmons
As persimmons fruit in the fall, it is best to buy them in October through January. They can be found at some supermarkets or at most Asian grocery stores. When purchasing persimmons, make sure you know what type you are buying, whether it is Fuyu, Hachiya, American, or another variety. When you buy a Fuyu persimmon, it will likely be ripe immediately or soon after you buy it, and should be kept refrigerated for preservation until you eat it. Hachiya, however, should be left at room temperature to ripen. American persimmons are the hardest to preserve and therefore are not commonly found in stores, especially in regions where they don’t grow.
To eat a Fuyu persimmon raw, simply wash it and bite into it, similar to an apple. The skin is edible, but the core should be avoided due to its unpleasant flavor. To eat a Hachiya or American persimmon raw, either cut off the top, peel the skin, and bite around the core, or cut off the top, scoop out and discard the core, and eat the flesh out of the skin with a spoon.
Persimmons can be cooked in sweet or savory dishes. As they are a sweet fruit, they are great for jams, candies, puddings, etc. In Japan, Hachiya persimmons are made into hoshigaki, a popular sweet. Persimmons can also be a good addition to salads, soups, breads, and other savory dishes.
