It’s finally fall in Japan! It’s no longer scorching hot outside, the trees are all changing color, and all my favorite foods are in season. That includes persimmon (柿).
What are persimmons
Maybe I was too overwhelmed with all the delicious fruit options back in Florida (you haven’t lived until you’ve had a fresh, sweet, juicy mango off the tree) or maybe it’s just not common in the states, but I had never tried a persimmon before coming to Japan. My first fall, I went to the supermarket to find all these strange, orange fruits by the entrances—and I left wondering if they were some kind of smooth pumpkin for Halloween. I mean, there are weirder ways to celebrate Western holidays in Japan…
So what are persimmons? The most common varieties you’ll find in stores are the flat, seedless ones, which are sweet and can be peeled and eaten like an apple (you don’t have to peel them, but if you don’t you might get some strange looks), and the small, oval-shaped ones, which are hung to dry before eating. There are many varieties and they’re all delicious! Just make sure if you choose an oval one that says 渋柿 (astringent) or はちや柿 (hachiya) that you don’t eat it unripe, or your tongue will be in for a nasty surprise.
Persimmon can usually only be found in November, with expensive ones sold throughout late fall and winter. You have to act fast if you want to enjoy this fruit!
Ways to eat persimmon
The moment I tried my first “kaki,” I fell in love. Now I get boxes of them from my in-laws every year. Sometimes it’s hard to finish them all when I’m just eating them cut into slices, so I’ve found other ways to eat persimmon. One of my favorites is eating it with cured hams (or 生ハム). The sweetness just goes so well with the saltiness of the ham, similar to prosciutto and melon dishes in Italy. I’ve also tried putting it in curry. I figured, since Japanese curries are usually made with apple, why not? It goes great in salads, which I have surprisingly come to crave after being faced with the sad strips of cabbage and boiled egg that pass for salads in Japan.
However, today I will introduce to you a dessert recipe! It’s almost unbelievably simple: you only need two ingredients.
Persimmon pudding
All you need are a persimmon and milk to make this persimmon pudding! The calcium in the milk reacts with the pectin in the fruit, kind of like when you make jam. Actually, although Japanese recipes all call it “pudding,” the texture really is closer to that of a smoothie. If you want something more solid, try adding a thickening agent like gelatin.
Peel the persimmon and place it in a blender. Add about half as much milk, blend, and you’re done! You can add some honey or vanilla as well, but it should be sweet enough as it is. Pour it into a bowl or cup and stick in the fridge for a few hours to thicken. (Or, put it in the freezer to turn it into ice cream!)
Let me know if you have any other recipes using persimmon! And be sure to subscribe so you’ll be notified when I write about other Japanese seasonal foods.