The Persimmon

The first time I tried a persimmon it was with my grandmother when I was around 8 years old. She always encouraged me to try new foods and my adventurous eating habits have stayed with me to this day. I remember it tasting very, well, furry...if that's a correct way to describe it. Eating it left my mouth dry and rough like sandpaper. Sounds tasty, right? Needless to say, I hated it (although I do remember sitting around our kitchen table eating it and laughing hysterically about how horrible it was).

What I didn't know then was that there are two types of persimmons. The "furry" tasting one is called a Hachiya persimmon. These are generally larger and shaped sort of like an acorn. They are the astringent variety and, if not properly ripened, do not taste all that great.

This past Thanksgiving, I was reintroduced to the persimmon. To my delight, it was the Fuyu variety, and very, very tasty. Fuyu persimmons look something like an orange tomato. They are smaller than the Hachiya and have what look like dried leaves flowering from the top of it. The texture is silky and taste a little sweet. You can eat them raw and with the skins or without, depending on your texture preference.

These fruits are very popular in Japan, and if you go to an Asian supermarket around this time of year, you will see people walking out of there with case loads of them. I will tell you more about the great Asian supermarket near my house another time. It really is incredible.

From a nutritional standpoint, the Fuyu persimmon is a great little fruit. It is packed with vitamin A, beta carotene, lycopene, and B vitamins. It is around 120 calories for one persimmon.

I know it can be intimidating to try new foods, but you are really missing out if you don't. The worst thing that can happen is that you don't like it, right?

I've outlined with pictures how to cut a Fuyu persimmon.

Step 1: Rinse off your persimmon as you would any other fruit.