Everything You Should Know About Persimmons

Ask an adult what their favorite fruit is and you'll likely get a range of answers. If a recent YouGov USA poll is anything to go by, strawberries, bananas, apples, and green grapes will probably make an appearance. Oranges, as an ever-popular halftime snack, will likely be mentioned, too. However, one fruit that might not get a mention is the persimmon.

Looking somewhat like a tomato, persimmons are an incredibly versatile fruit that boast a whole range of characteristics. Some are firm and astringent, others soft and sweet. Add to this the tree's ability to grow in a variety of environments and it is not difficult to see why the fruit has been highly prized in East Asia for thousands of years. While the United States does boast two of its own native persimmon varieties, the fruit has fallen out of favor since North America was colonized. In past decades, few Americans even knew what a persimmon was.

Thanks to the growing popularity of various Asian cuisines in the U.S., the persimmon is starting to get the attention it deserves. Because of this, the fruit is also becoming more widely available. Given the fruit's growing prominence in the West, we thought it a good time to put together this basic guide on everything you should know about persimmons.

All persimmons belong to the Diospyros genus and are technically classified as a berry, despite appearing from the outside more like a stone fruit. Persimmons always fruit on trees, the majority of which grow to a substantial height and girth. For example, American persimmon trees (Diospyros virginiana) often attain a height of up to 80 feet.

Persimmons themselves vary greatly in appearance with sub-species presenting different colors, shapes, and even external textures. The velvet persimmon (Diospyros blancoi), for example, often called mabolo, is a large round fruit that's covered in red-brown fur. In contrast, the Caucasian persimmon (Diospyros lotus) produces fruit that is devoid of hair.

Despite being classified as a berry, persimmons are usually approached by those working in the culinary world as a stone fruit. Sweet, soft flesh ensures that many persimmon varieties are well-suited for use in baking. However, it is important to remember that, unlike most stone fruits, there are many subspecies of persimmon that are not that sweet and must in a culinary sense be treated completely differently.

It is not known exactly how many types of persimmon there are across the world. This is because the plants have a tendency to sport. This is when part of the plant genetically mutates and subsequently grows a branch that is completely different to the rest of the tree. What's more, plants of the same variety can also have stark contrasts with one another. Despite these challenges, humans have managed to define several persimmon varieties.

Fuyu persimmons (Diospyros kaki 'fuyu') is one of the most well-known subspecies of the plant. It has been cultivated in China for thousands of years. They are harder than other types of persimmon, making them better suited to the rough and tumble associated with shipping and selling. As a result, Fuyu have become the dominant persimmon sold in American grocery stores, and approximately 10,000 tons of these persimmons are grown in California annually. Another popular variety is the Hachiya (Diospyros kaki 'hachiya'), an acorn-shaped fruit that develops an extremely soft texture when ripe.

Due to the abundance of varieties, persimmons are often classified into one of two sub-groups: astringent or non-astringent. The defining feature of astringent persimmons is that, unless the tannins are removed, they cannot be eaten until they are ripe and very soft. On the other hand, non-astringent persimmons can be eaten straight off the tree with their skin still intact.

As we've already seen, persimmons have a long and storied history in East Asia. Countries including China, Japan, and South Korea have cultivated the fruit for generations and, for this reason, persimmons play a huge role in these cultures' fall celebrations. As a result, many people view persimmons as one of their favorite fall foods.

In Gongcheng Yao Autonomous County, which is located in the south of China, an annual festival known as the Gongcheng Persimmon Festival is held. During this festival, the fruit is celebrated through persimmon-picking excursions and even a persimmon-throwing fight. In Korea, persimmon and cinnamon tea is often drunk to celebrate Chuseok, the country's own fall celebration.

Famous artworks and folktales suggest that many Asian countries' celebration of persimmons is not a new fad. Six Persimmons, an 800-year-old ink painting, spotlights the fruit and has gained massive fame both in Asia and beyond for its ability to infer the core principles of Zen Buddhism. Elsewhere, The Monkey and The Crab, a Japanese folktale in which persimmons feature heavily, was written in the 19th century and has become a key part of Japanese culture. As a result, it is no stretch to say that persimmons have become a vital part of national identity in several Asian countries.

While often perceived as an Asian fruit, two persimmon varieties are actually native to the United States. These are the American persimmon (Diospyros virginiana) and the Texas persimmon (Diospyros texana). The former is generally found in the east of the country, while the latter grows in the South. Both of these plants produce sweet, edible fruit.

Thanks to their fruit-bearing qualities, persimmon plants were an essential food source for North America's Indigenous populations. In fact, some historians go as far to say that, for certain tribes, persimmons were the most important food they had. Indigenous peoples including the Cherokee used the fruit to make persimmon bread, dried them to make prune-like snacks, and even used the leaves to make tea. The plant and fruit also had many medicinal uses and were used to treat everything from hemorrhoids to toothache. Given the plant's many applications, it is no surprise that extensive caches of persimmons have been found in Native American archaeological sites.

The hugely important role persimmons played in Native American culture is exemplified by The Terrapin's Escape from the Wolves, a Cherokee tale that opens with several characters searching for the fruit. Given the prominence of persimmons in Indigenous culture, there is little doubt that persimmons once played a key role in North American diets as did several other now popular foods, including Johnnycakes.

Due to the huge number of persimmon varieties out there, categorizing the fruit's flavor is all but impossible. Some persimmon varieties, including Hachiyas, present a candy-like flavor when ripe, while Fuyu tend to be spicier. The Sharon, another type, is often described as having the blended flavor of both a mango and pumpkin and is far sweeter than several other varieties.

Generally speaking, astringent persimmons, which are only palatable when very soft and ripe, are sweeter than their non-astringent counterparts. However, if eaten slightly under ripe they are extremely tannic. On the other hand, non-astringent persimmons can be eaten while still hard and never present the mouth-puckering flavors that unripe astringent persimmons do.

Because of differences in texture and taste, the most popular persimmon variety changes from area to area. This was explained to The Guardian by Chris Stillard, chairperson of Persimmon Australia, who said, "The Asian and eastern European markets prefer astringent persimmons. But the Australian market is all about the sweet or non-astringent persimmon." The same can be said for the United States where non-astringent persimmons like Fuyu are generally accepted as being the most widely available and popular varieties.

Unripe persimmons often contain very high levels of tannins, the same compound that makes wine taste dry. While giving the unripe fruit its characteristic dry and mouth-puckering flavor, the tannins can also have a significant impact on consumers' gastrointestinal health. This is because, upon eating, the tannins react with gastric acid to form a sticky material that traps other foodstuff, eventually resulting in a hard indigestible mass known as a phytobezoar to form inside a person's gastrointestinal system.

Persimmon phytobezoars often cause patients to develop an array of symptoms. In a paper published by Gastroenterology Report, a patient suffering from phytobezoars, some up to 8 centimeters in length, experienced vomiting, abdomen tenderness, and bowel obstructions. The patient had to undergo surgery to have the phytobezoars removed. Another paper, published in The Korean Journal of Internal Medicine, reported a similar case wherein a patient had developed several phytobezoars after consuming unripe persimmons. In this instance, the phytobezoars could not be removed via surgery and had to be dissolved by directly injecting them with Coca-Cola.

In the United States alone, numerous varieties of persimmon thrive including the American persimmon and the Fuyu persimmon. While these persimmons do not do well in cold environments, varieties including Great Wall persimmons and Sheng persimmons can grow in places that regularly experience temperatures around 0 degrees Fahrenheit. On the other hand, other persimmon varieties such as the Texas persimmon, are extremely heat tolerant and can easily survive extended periods of drought.

Thanks to these characteristics, it is no exaggeration to say that persimmon trees can grow in most places around the world. Annual yields back this notion up. The plants have become an important part of South African agriculture and Australia has its own robust persimmon-growing industry with about 2,500 tonnes of the fruit being produced annually. In Spain, 400,000 tonnes of a persimmon variety called Rojo Brilliante are produced every year, while Israel produces about 30,000 tonnes of its Sharon persimmon.

Naturally, these numbers pale in comparison to Asia's production. According to Statista, in 2022, China alone produced just under 3,400 million tonnes of persimmons. Over this same year, South Korea produced 231 million tonnes, while Japan produced 216 million tonnes.

As with many other types of fruit, persimmons are often used to make jams and preserves. However, thanks to the complex, sweet and spicy flavors that are present in many varieties, cooks can use persimmons in inventive ways with some chefs, including Tyler Rodde who owns Napa Valley's Oenotri, even using the fruit to top pizzas.

Often, the fruit is used to complement meat. Puréed persimmon complements gamey meats like squab pigeon — a protein that's been mounting a comeback in the United States in recent years — extremely well. This combination has actually been the basis of a hit dish served at London's Trivet, a restaurant that boasts two Michelin stars. Another example of the persimmon and meat combination comes from Australia's now closed Arc Dining where chef Alanna Sapwell served a dish that married goose prosciutto with the fruit.

In an interview with The Guardian, Sapwell also sung the praises of having the fruit as the centerpiece of a dish. She said, "I like to use persimmon in dishes where they can be the star because it opens people's minds up to the fruit, when it's the showstopper ingredient." One such example is Sapwell's persimmon tarte Tatin.

While the vast majority of persimmons are affordable and widely available, certain fruits, particularly big ones, are much more glamorous. In fact, large persimmons are sometimes viewed as a status fruit, and bidding wars are routinely held over particularly desirable specimens.

Spending big money on fruit is a growing trend that marketing director Brianna Shales explained to The Food Institute, saying, "Some people might see trying the new hit fruit like others see buying that new luxury purse or designer shoe. When it comes to luxury anything, it's all about the benefits that come with it and the value a person puts on them."

In November 2024, two Neo Sweet persimmons, a variety first developed in 2015, were sold for ¥1 million, which is equal to more than $6,500. These persimmons weighed over 300 grams and were known to be extremely sweet. Three years prior to this sale, another pair of persimmons were sold in Japan for a vast amount of money. Again, these persimmons were of the Neo Sweet variety and weighed more than 310 grams each. On this occasion, the persimmons sold for ¥860,000.

Despite growing in North America, Europe, and Australasia, persimmons have not always been widely available in the West. In fact, for many years, the fruit was only sold in Asian grocery stores. There are many reasons for this. Most notably, several varieties of persimmon, including Hachiya become extremely soft when ripe, making them ill-suited to the rough nature of mass commerce. 

That being said, demand for persimmons is rising and many retailers across western countries are stepping up to meet it. Australian Chris Stillard said to The Guardian, "Twenty years ago you'd never see a persimmon in a supermarket [...] Now we're seeing small amounts on shelves of supermarkets as well as greengrocers." The same can be said for the United States with persimmons now being stocked by major grocery stores, including Costco, a retailer that is no stranger to fruit as its delicious fruit smoothie attests.

Popularized in Japan hundreds of years ago, hoshigaki is a labor-intensive and slow technique that is used to transform almost inedible raw persimmons into a dried treat that boast a gummy texture and candy-like flavor. To do this, people first peel the persimmons and then hang them somewhere to dry for a period of four to six weeks. At this point, the real work begins. Every day, somebody must gently massage each persimmon. This encourages the persimmon to soften and shrivel while also drawing the fruit's sugars to its surface, lending the treat its wonderfully sweet flavor.

For many people, hoshigaki evokes memories of fall. In an interview with Eater, food writer Sonoko Sakai said, "I remember driving through the countryside as a child and seeing rows and rows of deep red hoshigaki drying in the sun each autumn. They were just beautiful against the blue sky, like something out of a postcard." Similar sites can be seen across Asia, with rows and rows of drying persimmons often transforming rooftops into brilliant displays of red-orange fruit.

Hoshigaki is becoming increasingly popular in the United States, especially among younger generations. As a painstaking but incredibly rewarding process, many people find it an important way of slowing down and being more deliberate with their food.

Aside from being readily available, versatile, and delicious, persimmons are also rich in nutrients. A single persimmon holds around 6 grams of fiber which is around a quarter of an adult's daily recommended intake. One persimmon boasts more than half an adult's daily recommended intake of vitamin A. The fruit also contains a substantial amount of vitamin C which helps reduce the levels of inflammation within the body. This has led some dieticians to suggest that eating persimmons could be beneficial for a person's joint health and might even protect them from developing arthritis.

The regular consumption of persimmons also helps protect against heart disease. As registered dietician Lyssie Lakatos explained to Well + Good, "They're rich in antioxidants like flavonoids, including quercetin and kaempferol, which help to fight oxidative damage and decrease the risk of chronic diseases like heart disease. Persimmons are also good sources of tannic acid and gallic acid, which have been proven to reduce high blood pressure, inflammation, and high cholesterol levels."