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How To Pick & Prepare Persimmons: A Nutritious Fruit With A Rich Cultural History
![Grace Yoon Grace Yoon](https://mindbodygreen-res.cloudinary.com/image/upload/c_fill,g_auto,w_50,h_50,q_auto,f_auto,fl_lossy/usr/TsON922.jpg)
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In Korea, folktales reflect the enduring culture of our people, thoughts and dreams about nature, and the relationship between humans and nature.
One of my favorite folktales is the "Tiger and Persimmon" because tigers in Korea are a symbol of strength and power and are often seen as a guardian spirit.
Aside from persimmons being a favorite sweet treat among Korean people, they are deeply rooted as a Buddhist symbol of transformation—where green bitter fruits transform into bright orange sweet nectar. Persimmons are an important ritual fruit in Korea tracing back to Jongka ancestral rituals, praying to the gods for a rich harvest.
Earth folktale: The Tiger and Persimmon
In the middle of the night, a tiger creeps into a village wanting to steal a cow, and coincidentally, a burglar is also attempting to steal a cow. Throughout the night, a child is wailing and crying endlessly. Even when his mother threatens him that a big, scary tiger is coming to eat him, the child keeps crying.
Suddenly, the tiger hears the child's mother enticing the child with a persimmon. "Here's a dried persimmon," she says, and then the child stops crying. The tiger is shocked and amused, wondering how dried persimmon has stopped a child from crying. The tiger wonders if the persimmon is more frightening than him, as the tiger couldn't scare the child. At the same time, the burglar, who mistakes the tiger for a cow, jumps on the tiger's back. Out of fear, the tiger bolts out of the village with the burglar on his back thinking it was the frightening dried persimmon.
The moral of the story is that mischief (the tiger) and corruption (the burglar) will not prevail if kindness, like the persimmon tree, is deeply planted in the hearts of people.
Persimmons (pronounced gam in Korean) have been consumed and used for treating various ailments for centuries in Eastern medicine, and they are a treasured delicacy in Korean culture. Persimmons contain antioxidants1, which help prevent oxidative damage and stress. They are great for helping maintain healthy eyes due to high levels of beta-carotene2, a vital nutrient for vision and cell growth.
Persimmon (gam)
- Family: Ebenaceae
- Genus: Diospyros kaki
- Common names: Sharon fruit, kaki
- Parts used: Fruit, leaves
- Effective qualities: Sweet, mild, rich
- Native region: East Asia
- Constituents: Folate, phosphorus, calcium, phytochemicals, flavonoid oligomers, tannins, phenolic acids, carotenoids
- Properties3: Anthelmintic, antihemorrhagic, antitussive, astringent, laxative, expectorant, restorative, antioxidant
- Indicated uses: Constipation, diarrhea, coughs
- Nutrients: Vitamins A, C, and B; potassium; manganese; high in beta-carotene, which lowers the risk of heart disease and certain cancers
- Preparation: Persimmons are commonly consumed as a dessert fruit. The calyx (the outer covering of the fruit) is used for medicinal purposes. Fresh persimmon juice is also used to lower blood pressure4.
A word of caution
Eating with the seasons is the best way to enjoy the flavor of fresh herbs and fruits. Crops that are harvested at their peak ripeness are often full of flavor. Not only are fruits and vegetables fresh when picked in season, but they often contain more nutrients as well. To best enjoy the benefits of persimmons, eat them during the fall season.
Persimmons can be found at grocery stores and farmers markets, or if you live on the West Coast, you may be able to stop by a persimmon orchard.
How to pick & prepare persimmons
Picking the perfect persimmon takes some practice, starting with distinguishing between the three varieties of persimmons. All are nutrient dense, but each has a different texture, size, and taste.
Dan-gam (Fuyu) are yellow-orange in color and shaped like tomatoes. These are firm, nonastringent, and taste sweet. Dan-gam are great for adding to salads or dried into slices for a healthy snack.
Hongsi (soft persimmon) is sweet, soft, and squishy with paper-thin skin. It has a puréelike texture and is used as a sweetener for baking or cooking. When shopping for them, choose fruit that is plump but not too firm, with bright orange-colored skin that's free from blemishes.
Shaped like large orange-red acorns, Daebong-gam (Hachiya) are astringent and are often dried into gotgam, also known as hosigaki in Japan. Timing is important in making dried persimmons because the moment a Daebong-gam is at the perfect level of ripeness for drying can quickly pass, and then it may turn too ripe and mushy for drying. If you dry it too early, the unripe flesh will create a bitter, chalky taste in your mouth.
Similar to the timing in life, there is a certain time of ripeness and opportunity with persimmons that may quickly pass if we are not mindful of our surroundings.
Persimmon Leaf Tea (gamipcha)
Makes 4 cups (946 milliliters)
Ingredients:
- 5 to 6 fresh persimmon leaves or 4 teaspoons (3 grams) of dried persimmon leaves
- 4 cups (946 milliliters) water
Method:
- To make tea with fresh leaves: Clean and wash the leaves thoroughly. Boil the water and brew for about 10 to 15 minutes.
- To make tea with dried leaves: Boil the water, add the dried leaves, and brew for about 10 to 15 minutes.
Author note: One of my favorite leaves to pick on my farm are persimmon leaves. Persimmon leaves contain proanthocyanidins, which are a type of polyphenols, tannins, flavonoids, terpenoids, nitric oxide, choline, astragalin, and amino acids. The leaves also have more vitamin C5 than the fruit and are a good source of carotenoids, magnesium, manganese, titanium, calcium, and phosphorus. Studies have shown that drinking persimmon leaf tea improves your metabolism6, and flavonoids help lower blood pressure.
Adapted from an excerpt from The Korean Herbal Apothecary © 2023 Quarto Publishing Group USA Inc. Text © 2023 Grace Yoon. Photos © 2023 Michelle K. Min. Illustrations © 2023 Jane Kwan.
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