Depending on the variety, the ripe persimmon fruits are colored more or less bright orange, soft and sweet. When unripe they can contain bitter tannins, which are lost during the ripening process.
How do you recognize a ripe persimmon?
You can recognize a ripe persimmon by its strong orange color and soft, sweet consistency. Unripe fruits, on the other hand, are harder and can taste bitter. To ripen, leave the persimmons at room temperature until they become soft and their flesh has a glassy, shiny sheen.
The persimmon fruits are about the size of apples and have a round, slightly oval or flattened shape. In appearance they sometimes resemble large beefsteak tomatoes. The fruits taste sweet, contain a lot of vitamin A and have a high nutritional value. The persimmon fruits can be found in the fruit departments of supermarkets all year round under different names:
- Sharon,
- Persimmon or
- Kaki.
Ripe and unripe fruits
The fruits differ not only in shape and color, but also in their origin. Most persimmons come to us from Asia. A ripe persimmon has jelly-like, very soft flesh, which shimmers through the peel with a glassy shine. An unripe persimmon is hard and has a high tannin content, giving the fruit a furry feeling in the mouth. The tannins decrease as the ripeness progresses.
If you come across such a fruit, storing the persimmons in the freezer for a short time will help to get rid of the bitter taste. However, the pulp becomes very soft due to frost. The Sharon and persimmon fruits, on the other hand, are edible even when hard, as these varieties contain practically no bitter tannins. They can also be stored for a long time.
Furniture and consumption
In commercial cultivation, the fruits are harvested unripe. This way they can be stored for a long time and transported long distances. Immediately before sale, they are ripened using the ripening gas. As a result, the fruits lose the tannins without losing their firm consistency.
The skin of the persimmon fruit is firm, smooth and shiny. It can be eaten without hesitation and gives the otherwise very soft fruit a bit of a “bite”. However, if you find the firm consistency disturbing, you can cut the fruit open and spoon it out so that the peel is not eaten.
Tips & Tricks
The persimmon is a berry fruit and is also known as persimmon, Chinese persimmon, Japanese persimmon.
