The benefits of persimmon
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What persimmons do
What this vegetable does
It is held to clear heat, moisten dryness of the Lung, and ease a dry throat and mouth.
How to eat it
As well as eating it as it is, it is worth making into jam and desserts.
A yakuzen note
It is held to moisten the Lung and to ease a dry throat and the discomfort that comes with dryness.
Persimmon is held to clear heat and moisten the Lung, which suits the season when a dry throat and dryness are on your mind. It can also be looked to for replenishing the body's fluids and easing a dry mouth and an odd feeling in the throat. Eaten in season as it is, or made into a dessert, it helps with seasonal care.
TOC
When persimmons are in season, their types, and how to choose them
If you want to enjoy what persimmon does, it helps to know its season, its types and how to choose it. It is the fruit that stands for autumn in Japan, loved for its gentle sweetness and vivid orange.
In season in autumn, and the difference between sweet and astringent persimmons
Persimmons are in season in autumn, around October to November. Broadly they divide into sweet persimmons, which lose their astringency on the tree, and astringent persimmons, which need the astringency taken out. The astringency comes from tannin, and in a sweet persimmon it goes as the fruit ripens, so it can be eaten as it is. Astringent persimmons turn strongly sweet once the astringency is drawn off or once they are dried. Wakayama, Nara, Fukuoka and Gifu are among the main growing areas, and there is even a proverb to the effect that when persimmons turn red, doctors turn pale, so closely is the fruit tied to autumn care.
Fuyu, Jiro, Hiratanenashi and the other varieties
Both sweet and astringent persimmons come in varieties that differ in texture and in use.
| Variety | What stands out |
|---|---|
| Fuyu | The leading sweet persimmon. Round and soft, juicy and sweet |
| Jiro | A sweet persimmon, square in shape. Firmer flesh, with a bite to it |
| Hiratanenashi | A seedless astringent persimmon. Meltingly sweet once the astringency is drawn off |
Fuyu if you like soft flesh, Jiro if you want a firm bite, Hiratanenashi if you want something seedless and easy to eat: you can choose to taste. There are varieties suited to processing as well, such as the astringent Tonewase, and Saijo and Atago for drying.
How to choose them, and a word on eating too many
When picking out good persimmons, these are the things to look for.
- A deep, even orange all over, firm and glossy
- A green, fresh calyx sitting tight against the fruit
- A good weight in the hand, and the firmness you prefer, whether firm or fully ripe
Tannin, which is what makes a persimmon astringent, is said to set in the stomach if a lot is eaten at once on an empty stomach. However good they are, mind how many you eat and enjoy a sensible amount. Firm persimmons soften as they ripen at room temperature, so you can watch for the firmness you like and pick your moment.
How to eat persimmons
The gentle sweetness of a persimmon carries it well beyond eating as it is, into cooking and snacks. Here are the usual ways.
As it is, in salads and in namasu
A persimmon peeled and eaten as it is is the best of all. Slice the firmer ones thin into a salad and the sweetness works as a note of its own. Combined with prosciutto or shungiku, or with daikon and carrot in a namasu, it gives colour to the meal. Mashed persimmon dressed with tofu makes a refined dish in the Japanese manner. That gentle sweetness also goes well with a sharp dressing.
Dried, grilled and as jam
Astringent persimmons hung to dry are an old preserved food, the sweetness concentrated. A persimmon gone soft, baked in the oven or the toaster, gains sweetness and body. Simmered down into a jam or a puree, it goes with bread and yoghurt. Frozen and half-thawed, it eats like a sorbet, which suits early autumn while the heat lingers.
How to keep persimmons
Persimmons lose moisture through the calyx and spoil, so keep them calyx down. Lay a dampened tissue against the calyx, put them in a plastic bag and keep them in the vegetable drawer of the fridge and they keep without going too soft. To soften a firm persimmon quickly, leave it at room temperature to ripen. An over-ripe one can be peeled, stoned and frozen, and half-thawed it eats like a sorbet.
Alongside this, one likewise held to moisten the Lung, The benefits of pear or The benefits of white wood ear as a guide for daily care against autumn dryness.
In season in autumn, persimmon is a fruit that carries the season, eaten as it is of course, and in salads, namasu, dried and grilled. Soft, sweet Fuyu, firm Jiro and astringent persimmons for processing: use each variety for the job and it shows its best. For daily care in the season when dryness is on your mind, bring persimmons in season to the table.
