PERSIMMON - FUYU PERSIMMON

Common Name: Persimmon
Vernacular Name: Oriental persimmon, Japanese persimmon, Kaki, Sharon fruit
Botanical Name: Diospyros kaki
Specimens From: China
Specimens Weight: 138 gm [4.87 oz] (average weight per fruit)

Persimmon in this species are also called "Oriental or Japanese" persimmon, excluding the "American Persimmon" as it is classified under another species but in the same family. It is basically divided into two categories, namely "Astringent and Non-astringent" persimmons:

Astringent: Can only be eaten when it is completely ripe due to the high content of tanin.

Non-astringent: Can be eaten even in its hard, orange stage as the tanin content is greatly reduced, the moment it turn from green to orange.

Fuyu persimmon is by far the most popular and well-known cultivar of persimmons. It is a non-astringent type. "Fuyu" is the shorten Japanese name for "Fuyugaki", meaning "Winter Persimmon". Although this fruit originated from China, the Japanese name was adopted as Japan cultivated it and made popular by them.

The shape is usually slightly squarish and flatten, a little similar to a tomato. It is green and hard when unripe (refer to the left fruit, top photo) and turn yellowish-orange to orange-red when ripe. You can eat it even when it is hard and it is crispy, like an apple but not that sweet. It is nicer to eat when it is softer as it will be much sweeter but don't wait till it over-ripes, it will turn mushy and does not look good too. You do not need to peel the skin as it is edible but just don't eat the flatten seeds.

Since this fruit is non-astringent, it can be cut into smaller pieces and mixed into salad or can be used as desserts, puddings, cakes etc.

Those commercially-available persimmons that shape like an acorn are usually the "Hachiya" cultivar, an astringent persimmon. And "Sharon fruit" is the trademark name for those persimmon cultivated in Israel and not apply across the board for every type of persimmons, which is commonly mistaken every now and then.

Korean Dried Persimmon

In east Asia, dried persimmons are often eaten as a snack. The Korean dried persimmon ranges from sweet to almost bland. It is soft but slightly chewy. The Chinese version is flattened and round. The Japanese one is the most expensive of the three.


Fruit: Fuyu Persimmon ; Diospyros kaki ; Ebenaceae.


Other fruit in the same family: Tamopan Persimmon.


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