Comments on: Kaki / Asian Persimmon

By: Ted

Ted — Tue, 21 Nov 2006 20:05:20 +0000

I’m one of the few that asked if persimmons is available in Manila. Im actually thinking about cultivating it there someday when i actually retire. The tree is almost maintenance free and very hardy and gives plenty of fruit, it can strive in Arizona to Canada so i think it will grow there.

I think Pinoys will love the non-astringent or the fuyu variety better since you can just munch on them unpeeled. I’ve tried using them for “ensaladas” like the jicama and they are wonderful. Try the crunchy half ripe fuyu with “bagoong” and you’ll find out what you’re missing ;-)

By: Bay_leaf

Bay_leaf — Tue, 21 Nov 2006 15:24:52 +0000

they cost 1 Swiss franc here and come from Spain and they are luscious!!! my fave winter fruit, next to mandarines. :)

By: xiao li

xiao li — Mon, 20 Nov 2006 14:27:00 +0000

Like Malou, persimmons look like tomatoes to me:). My parents will always haul some home from their trip to Xiamen/Fujian. There was once when my mom brought some from their own backyard, and they were the hugest I have ever seen. Incidentally, my mom told me to get the dried persimmon, and boil it with water to make it to a paste to cure this nasty cough I have. It could be one of those mythical home remedies… I believe the fruit and the dried fruit are available in Ongpin, that is when they are in season. I have yet to taste the variety they have here in Beijing. They look yellow orange more than red orange, and biased as I can be, not that tasty!

By: ThePseudoshrink

ThePseudoshrink — Mon, 20 Nov 2006 08:34:00 +0000

I once bought persimmons in Divisoria, and it was the last time…bland and a bit tough (not yet ripe, I guess). I’d go for mabolo anytime…nice pretty color, sweet, and tender. Mabolo brings back fond memories of childhood, when my father would get back from hunting (this sounds bourgeoise, but it’s not, I grew up in a rural area) with loads of mabolo, tikling (a kind of bird), quails, eggs of monitor lizard, and sometimes, the monitor lizard itself!

By: i'lltaketwoplease

i'lltaketwoplease — Mon, 20 Nov 2006 07:56:00 +0000

My family and I LOVE persimmons! This is the fruit I would bring back home to Guam during the fall and holiday months, whereas I would bring cherries if I came to visit during the summer. Cheaper, abundant and better fruit here in the mainland, and not banned through customs.

When I lived in Northern California, we actually had a tree growing in our back yard, and was abundant with fruit, which only the dog would pay attention to when they fell to the ground. I don’t think I ever tasted the persimmons from that tree.

Only eat the “Fuyu” variety, which are the ones similar to the picture you have above, where the top and bottom is flat. The “Hachiya” one is rounder and pointed on the bottom is extremely starchy sticky and unpleasant like glue. Is “mapakla” the correct term? I saw it in a comment above, and I think that’s what my mom describes the Hachiya ones. I believe the latter is ripened on the trees in China to a very mushy consistency and slurped up like a thick juice.

How we like to eat the Fuyu type is at a very crunchy and firm stage and refrigerated. I only really eat them when my mom is around as she peels and quarters them with a paring knife, and I don’t have the patience to do that.

The smell is almost cinnamon-ny and if you look at the flesh, looks like it has some sprinkled on. It should have a nice crunch when you bite into a slice. Definitely peel the skin off!

I’ve seen the dried ones at Chinese and Korean markets, but I remember not being too fond of them.

A friend gave me some dehydrated slices of persimmon, kinda like dried banana chips, and they were actually good. A nice snack.

Try the different varieties of persimmon as well as at different ripe stages. See which you prefer!

By: anna

anna — Mon, 20 Nov 2006 07:47:35 +0000

oooh! i just bought some persimmons in divisoria last week. a pack (4 persimmons) costs 75 pesos for the crunchy kind and 70 for the soft kind. yum! yum!

By: Malou See

Malou See — Mon, 20 Nov 2006 06:05:33 +0000

That’s what I love about reading food blogs…you learn new things everyday. I have been eating this fruit for almost 35 yrs of my life…and I dont know what it’s called. I usually, called this Sweet tomatoes =) bec the shape is really similar to a ripe tomatoes. Usually, this is abundant before the Chinese New Year, my mom never runs out of these during the celebration. Thanks MM for sharing this info. So next time I’m going to hunt for these tomatoes,I mean, Persimmons…wont have to drag my mom to buy me one..will just go straight and said it with gleeing eyes.

By: C

Mon, 20 Nov 2006 04:03:27 +0000

I love persimmons!!! I’ve always been hesitant to buy persimmons in manila coz I’m not sure if it will be as good as the ones that I get from Japan or the US. But from your post, it seems that we get good persimmons here. So, where did you get those 50-peso fruits? Thanks!

By: Mila

Mila — Mon, 20 Nov 2006 02:29:56 +0000

I’m a persimmon fan, fresh and dried. My sister lives in Roseville, a suburb of Sacramento, near several of the Japanese-American owned farms that cultivate and sell fresh and dry persimmons. She buys them by the kilo and sends them over, I love munching on them instead of raisins or prunes.

There was a great article about the dying breed of Japanese-American farmers drying the fruit the traditional way, which allows the natural sugars to crystallize. Leaves you feeling nostalgic for something that is not yet gone.

By: cwid

cwid — Mon, 20 Nov 2006 02:04:20 +0000

I love persimmons. They remind me so much of chico which I really miss. I can see how persimmons are related to mabolo but the persimmons I have tasted are crisp (I don’t let them get too ripe) and not “malabo” like the mabolo. They’re cheap right now —about 99 cents Cdn per pound.