Persimmon: Beware the Pucker!

Being a culinary explorer, I like to try anything new that I find in the grocery store. So, when I found gorgeous-looking persimmons I bought some. Some were oval shaped, the Hachiya persimmons and some were flatter, the Fuyu persimmons. I bought some of each. 

I left them on the counter for a few days so they could ripen....but my curiosity was making it hard to wait. I cut the Hachiya persimmon and bit into it. 

Immediately, my mouth began to pucker and felt absolutely parched! My mom was around, and being familiar with persimmons, she began laughing at me!! 

From this experience, I learned that persimmons, especially the Hachiya type, are filled with many tannins that produce an astringent effect. There are several ways to avoid the experience I had, including

1. make sure the persimmon is so ripe that the flesh is jelly-like,
2. expose the persimmon to light for a few days to enhance ripening, and 
3. wrap the persimmon in airtight plastic wrap until soft,
4. place the persimmon in a brown paper bag until soft, and
5. soak the persimmon in alcohol or carbon dioxide, which will make the tannins insoluble.

There is a process called bletting, which is the process of letting certain fruits begin to decay or ferment to make them better to eat. This is sometimes done to persimmons.

The Fuyu type of persimmon has less tannin, so it is not so bitter and astringent when eaten before fully ripe.The important thing about persimmons is to wait until they are fully ripe or over-ripe before eating.