Persimmons - 'Food of the Gods'

It's autumn & persimmons are in season!

It’s autumn, and this time of year Persimmons are in season. Yay!
The botanical name for his fabulously delicious fruit is Diospyros kaki, which, quite appropriately, is Greek for ‘food of the Gods’.
They are also known as Sharon fruit, but personally I prefer the Greek name ;) 

From left to right: Non-astringent & astringent

​Whilst there are several varieties of Persimmons, they basically fall into two categories: astringent & non-astringent and it’s very important that you know which one you’re biting into!

Fuyu

Fuyu (non-astringent)

​The Fuyu persimmon is non-astringent and can be cut up and eaten like a pear and if it’s not completely ripe it’s still ok to eat. I like them when they are the consistency of a ripe pear.

Just cut it up and eat it!

Hachiya

Hachiya (astringent-it must be super soft & ripe before you eat it!)

​My favourite, the Hachiya persimmon, aka Japanese persimmon is, on the other hand, an astringent persimmon and it has to be completely ripe before eating. If you try to eat an unripe one, it will dry all the moisture out of your mouth and put you off persimmons forever. Imagine eating a mushy, but unripe banana and you’ll get the idea. However, if you taste a ripe one, well, it’s like a sweet, fruity, vanilla-jelly dessert, a true ‘food of the Gods’.

​The Hachiya persimmon is ripe when it’s as soft as a squashy water balloon, so don’t be put off by the extreme softness. If it ain’t squishy, it ain’t ready! So leave it to ripen longer! (Don’t say I didn’t warn you…)

Pull off the green/brown top

Slice the top off

'Food of the Gods!'

​To eat a Hachiya persimmon, just pull off the green/brown top (which will come away easily if the fruit is ripe), slice off the top, sit down, eat the persimmon with a spoon and delight in this amazing culinary delicacy!
​Once you’ve tasted a really ripe one, you’ll be hooked! :)

Dive in with a spoon!

Love is....a ripe persimmon!

Nutrition Facts

Not only is this fruit a joy to eat, it’s also bursting with nutrition.
1 cup of Japanese persimmon is:

• really high in vitamin A = 2733 IU
• high in manganese = 0.6 mg
• high in vitamin C = 12.6 mg
• a great source of dietary fibre = 6 g

​So what are you waiting for? Grab some persimmons today and taste the food of the Gods! :)