Winter has almost arrived in Beijing. This morning outside temperature was only -2°C. Yesterday clear blue skies and strong northern winds. The right season for harvesting the sharp orange colored kaki fruits. When their skin turns from chalky to shiny, the bitter ingredients turn sweet and the flesh softens.
To get the rich ripe taste they should be stored in a sunny, yet cold place. A bit of frost bite does no harm. Best outside on a window sill. I have one for breakfast every morning. Very good is also the variety to deep-freeze the ripe fruit, cut it into half and scrape the sweet sorbet-like flesh with a spoon.
The persimmon /pərˈsɪmən/ (sometimes spelled persimon) is the edible fruit of a number of species of trees in the genus Diospyros. The species Diospyros kaki is native to China. The word Diospyros comes from the ancient Greek words „dios“ (δῐος) and „pyron“ (πῡρον). A popular etymology construed this as „divine fruit“, or as meaning „wheat of Zeus“ or „God’s pear“ and „Jove’s fire“. The word persimmon itself is derived from putchamin, pasiminan, or pessamin, from Powhatan, an Algonquian language of the eastern United States, meaning „a dry fruit“. „Sharon fruit“ (named after the Sharon plain in Israel) is the marketing name for the Israeli-bred cultivar ‚Triumph‘. In the Valencia region of Spain, there is a variegated form of kaki called the „Ribera del Xuquer“, „Spanish persimon“ or „Rojo Brillante“.
The heart-shaped Hachiya is the most common variety of astringent persimmon. Astringent persimmons contain very high levels of soluble tannins and are unpalatable if eaten before completely softened.
The non-astringent persimmon is squat like a tomato. Before ripening, persimmons usually have a „chalky“ or bitter taste. In 2013, world production of persimmons was 4.6 million tonnes, with China accounting for 43% of this total.
The side streets of the old diplomatic quarter next to my appartment are lined with kaki trees. Already in late September ruthless people start climbing these trees at night and break down complete branches full of unripe fruits. What a waste! The other two photos below were taken in the Ming Tombs area where lots of fruit is grown.
Source in parts: Wikipedia
Click on small images of this article to view them in large!
