Persimmons

If I were to be asked what my favorite fruit is, I'd probably have to say, the persimmon. For me there has always been something vaguely mysterious about the persimmon.

There are of course the different varieties of the fruit. The two main kinds we find in our markets are known by their Japanese names: fuyu (the firm-fleshed non-astringent variety, see photo), and hachiya (the kind with the soft meat that you eat with a spoon, like custard). I happen to like both kinds.

The shelf life of the fuyu may be longer than that of the hachiya. With the hachiya, it can be difficult to tell when it is exactly ready for eating. And herein lies the mystery. A hachiya persimmon may look from its color and feel as though it is already ripe, but when you cut it open, sink a spoon into it, and transfer the soft flesh to your mouth, you could be in for a surprise, and not a pleasant one at that.

If the hachiya isn't perfectly ripe to a jelly-like softness, it will make the inside of your mouth feel as though all your taste buds had been suddenly cauterized. It is a most unsettling sensation. But when it is fully ripe, the flesh of the hachiya can be heavenly.

The fuyu, on the other hand, can be eaten even when it has an apple-like firmness, though it is usually more delicious when you let it ripen and soften a bit.

Our Asian markets around this time of year have an abundance of persimmons, usually of the fuyu variety. The hachiya is not as common, and is more expensive, costing as much per piece as a whole pound of the fuyu.

Persimmons are good also in baked goods.