Autumn is one of the richest seasons for fruits and vegetables. Many persimmon lovers are looking forward to the end of summer, when this fresh and ripe seasonal fruit will finally appear on the shelves. However, choosing persimmons that are sweet and not sticky is not always easy. We learned from a market representative and fruit sellers what to look for, what varieties there are, and what a “crown” actually is.

Olga Kukoba

creative director of Danilovsky market

Persimmon is good both on its own and as part of salads or desserts: just look at the Azerbaijani honey “korolek” - a chocolate variety with characteristic patterns - cracks on the top.

How to determine whether a persimmon is sweet?

First of all, you need to learn how to choose persimmons. The harder it is, the more likely it is that the fruit will knit. This often happens with Abkhazian persimmon: it must be soft, this guarantees its sweetness. But with the Spanish variety it’s the other way around: this variety has a rich yellow-orange color, and the fruits themselves can be chewed like an apple without fear of unpleasant astringent sensations.

What to do if you bought an unsuccessful persimmon?

If it turns out that you chose the persimmon according to all the rules, but it still knits, then just put it in the freezer for a day and a half: it will become softer, sweeter, and the viscosity will disappear. If the fruit is astringent just a little, we do not recommend immediately rushing to the freezer: fruits with a slight astringent taste are very beneficial for the health of the thyroid gland.

Svetlana Vladimirovna and Jamil

stand No. 222–223 at the Dorogomilovsky market, as well as their colleagues from neighboring stalls

The persimmon season officially begins in September, when the first Azerbaijani and Uzbek fruits ripen. True, you can buy Spanish persimmons on the market almost all year round, which, among other things, grow in numerous greenhouses.

How to distinguish Spanish persimmon from king?

Somewhere in mid-November (depending on the weather), domestic varieties, mainly growing in Sochi, also ripen. This year the spring and summer were hot, so Russian varieties can already be found.

Spanish persimmons are generally large, glossy and almost always sold quite firm, but they almost never stick. The Uzbek and Azerbaijani ones reach Moscow mostly mature, they have a smaller shape with a sharp tip and a more orange, dark, rich color, they are soft to the touch, and it feels like they will burst when pressed, the juices press on the skin. There is also a small variety of persimmon - “candle”, like fingers, it is sweet. They are transported from Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan.

“Korolek” is just a variety of persimmon that almost never knits. The inside of such a fruit is always darker, which is why the name of the variety is “chocolate”. Sochi ones lie with a flat nose. “King girls” - with small darkening at the nose, they will knit a little; “boy” - with round streaks at the bottom around the center, never knits. Better take them.

If the persimmon knits, it means it is unripe. To make it candied, you just need to freeze it - you can keep it on the balcony in the cold or in the freezer, but not for long. Although in general the fruits are quite frost-resistant.

The shape of persimmon depends on its variety, and can be spherical or acorn-shaped, flat or angular. Colors range from yellow-orange to dark orange-red. Weight can also vary - from several tens of grams to half a kilogram. The entire fruit is edible, excluding the seeds and calyxes. Unripe fruits and the fruits of some varieties of persimmon are characterized by unpleasant viscosity and astringency. Persimmon comes from China. Today it grows in Italy, Spain, Israel and the Caucasus. In our country, this fruit is called persimmon/crown, in Europe - kaki/sharon/persimon. Ordinary persimmon loses its astringent taste only after full ripening, when its pulp acquires a jelly-like consistency.

Korolek

Sharon fruit is a hybrid of Japanese persimmon and apple. Unlike its Asian relative, it contains less astringent acid, so it tastes more pleasant. It also has no seeds. Sharon has a thin, shiny skin and firm flesh, like an apple. And you can eat it like an apple - just bite it. Sharon tastes like quince, apple and apricot. Ripening in October, this fruit does not lose its taste for a long time, and the more it is exposed to cold and frost, the sweeter it becomes. In Israel, sharons are persimmons that are allowed to ripen on the tree only to medium ripeness. In order for such sharons to ripen, they are placed in a cardboard box along with ripe bananas - and after about a day the persimmon turns bright orange.

Choosing persimmons

The ripeness of persimmons can be determined:

Taste. Tart and astringent fruits are usually unripe (this depends not only on the degree of ripeness, but also on the variety, and whether pollination has occurred or not: pollinated fruits are usually sweeter).

By color. When the persimmon is ripe, it is bright orange to dark brown (depending on the variety) with brownish leaves. You should pay attention to brown stripes on the skin of the fruit. The more stripes, the sweeter the fruit. In this case, the fruit should be translucent.

By the skin. The skin should be thin, smooth, easy to press, but at the same time dense. By the stalk. The leaves and the stalk itself should be dry and brown in color.

"Chinese peach", "winter cherry", "heart apple", "orange sun"- as soon as they don’t call you affectionately persimmon. Indeed, bright large fruits cannot but please the eye. However, the first impression can be deceiving: an attractive-looking persimmon may turn out to be sweet, but completely inedible. We'll tell you how to choose the right persimmon.

What kind of persimmons are there?

All varieties of persimmon are divided into two types - "ordinary", or persimmon itself, and "kings".

Ordinary persimmon loses its astringent taste only after full ripening, when its pulp acquires a jelly-like consistency. But the “wren” does not knit in principle: it is always sweet and tender, even if it is a little underripe. However, there is one “but”. If pollination has occurred and seeds have formed, then the “wren” ripens strong, sweet and tasty, brown inside (for this it is also called “ chocolate"). If there was no pollination, seeds are not formed, and instead of a chocolate “king” you get tart, astringent fruits. Quite nutritious, but rather tasteless. Moreover, their taste no longer depends on the period of ripening: early-ripening, mid-ripening, and late-ripening varieties can be tart.

Selecting persimmons: 4 signs of a ripe persimmon

1. Soft side. Try to choose persimmons with soft barrels.

2. Dry stalk. Look at the stalk: both the leaves and the stalk itself should be dry and brown in color.

3. The optimal choice is a kinglet. The “chocolate” kinglet can be recognized by its characteristic dark red skin and brown flesh with even darker veins. As a rule, these are small round fruits.

4. Thin skin. The amazing-tasting persimmon variety “Shakhinya” is bright, large, and heart-shaped. But this is not a “wren”, which means that if the fruits are not ripe, they may have an astringent taste. Ripe “shakhinya” can be distinguished by its translucent skin with thin black rings: the more of them, the more ripe the persimmon. In Central Asia they say that ripe persimmons should be soft, with smooth, shiny, thin translucent skin.

How to help persimmons ripen

1. Place in a cardboard box or paper bag along with ripe bananas. And after about a day, the persimmon turns bright orange.

2. Place persimmons in a plastic bag with apples or tomatoes. These fruits emit ethylene gas, which will cause the persimmon to ripen faster.

3. Keep the persimmon in warm (30-40 °C) water for 10-12 hours, the astringent taste will go away.

Bright orange fruits are a decoration for any fruit display. Well, how can you pass by? Persimmon just begs to be put on the table. And in the cold season it is especially good, because many people associate its aroma with the approaching New Year holidays.

In addition, persimmons cannot be called an expensive purchase. Most varieties are not that expensive, which makes this fruit even more desirable in times of crisis. Do you know how to choose persimmons so that your purchase will only please you?

Variety of varieties

Today there are many different varieties on the market. You can buy very large, medium or very small fruits with a wide variety of tastes.

When thinking about how to choose the right persimmon, focus on your own preferences. Most people opt for sweet fruits, but some people like the characteristic viscosity. In addition, many are sure that the more complex the taste of persimmon, the more vitamins it contains.

Why does persimmon “knit”?

Scientists claim that the whole secret is in the content of a certain substance - tannin. It is he who is responsible for viscosity. No matter how unusual and unattractive the taste of the fruit may seem to you, you should not worry - this substance is safe for health.

But in some other overseas tastes, the “biting” taste should be treated with caution. For example, pineapples and kiwi can burn the oral mucosa. It is especially dangerous to treat children with fruits with an overly astringent taste, since undesirable effects can also affect the gastrointestinal tract.

The sweetest persimmon: selection rules

When asked how to choose a persimmon whose taste will please you with its ripeness and aroma, many will cite varieties such as Korolek and Shokoladnitsa as examples.

As you can easily guess from the name, the flesh of Shokoladnitsa is reminiscent of chocolate in color. This is the only persimmon variety whose brown tint should not alert you when purchasing. In other cases, this is a sign of damage. The taste also has a slight hint of chocolate, as well as nutty notes. The skin of the fruit is also brownish, unevenly colored.

Kinglet (Hiakume) is the most common variety, related to the previous one. Both of them belong to the kinglet family. The named fruits are large in size, with seeds inside. It is believed that a large number of them indicates a rich taste. Some places of the pulp (but to a lesser extent than in Shokoladnitsa) are also brownish.

Honey Korolek is an early variety that ripens first. It is smaller, the flesh is even more transparent, amber-orange, without brown segments. The fruits are soft, very juicy, and smell like honey.

All king varieties are easily recognized not only by their unique pulp, but also by their expressive aroma. In addition, the flesh is loose, slimy, and in places translucent, similar to amber.

Tangerine persimmon is almost never found outside its growing area. When it ripens, its pulp turns almost into jelly, so it is easily destroyed, and transporting the fruit is extremely difficult. This is one of the sweetest varieties - so much so that it even seems cloying. It can be difficult to eat a whole fruit. There are no veins or seeds in tangerine persimmons.

Time to harvest

To understand how to choose a persimmon that does not knit, you need to remember the timing of its collection. As is known, many varieties have a tart taste when unripe. If you're hoping to enjoy sweet persimmons in early fall, you probably won't.

The earliest varieties (Goshoaki, Seedles, Honey King) bear fruit at the end of October. In November, Chocolate and Hiakume ripen. Some varieties produce harvest only in December.

Signs of maturity

It happens that when choosing a persimmon, it is difficult to determine whether it is ripe on the tree or whether it was picked unripe. After all, the color of a sweet, aromatic fruit is absolutely the same as that of a completely unripe and tart fruit. If you want to know how to choose a ripe persimmon, focus on the skin. When pressed, there should be a mark on it, but it should not seem like a separate film lying on a layer of pulp.

Look carefully at the pulp itself (of course, if the seller agrees to cut the fruit). It should be soft, jelly-like, similar to amber. It is visually easy to determine whether there is a lot of juice in it - there is a lot of it in sweet persimmons. But dry pulp, more like a quince or an apple, is a sign of an unripe persimmon. She will knit so much that even the most desperate gourmet will not have enough strength to finish eating.

How to get rid of astringent taste

Well, what if all the torment of choosing the desired result did not bring? After all, it happens that even those who know perfectly well how to choose persimmons that do not knit, do not bring home exactly what they wanted.

There is no need to despair. Wrap the fruits in newspaper and put them in the freezer overnight. Low temperatures will destroy the tannin. High, by the way, is also destructive for it, so you can put the fruit on the radiator (in a container) or fill it with hot water.

Another way to save the situation is to dip a needle in medical alcohol and prick the flesh thoroughly, inserting it deeper. The reaction with alcohol neutralizes the tannin.

How to choose persimmons for planting in your own garden?

There are many varieties of this fruit. Most of them are suitable for growing only in hot regions, but there are also many that are frost-resistant. They can be grown in many regions of Russia and other post-Soviet countries.

A significant contribution to the development of frost-resistant varieties was made by the teachings of the Nikitsky Botanical Garden (Crimea). Most hybrid varieties are distinguished by medium-sized fruits of a calm orange hue, light flesh and a delicate taste with a slight bitterness. The photo in the article shows persimmons in the Nikitsky Botanical Garden before harvest.

If you are thinking about how to choose persimmons for your own garden, start with one or two seedlings. Don't forget that these plants are southern and need care. Always give preference to early ripening varieties.

What are the benefits of persimmon?

When thinking about how to choose the right persimmon, you are probably worried not only about the taste, but also about the benefits. This fruit is valued due to its vitamin-rich composition.

Persimmon normalizes the functioning of the cardiovascular system and gastrointestinal tract, strengthens vision, replenishes the deficiency of potassium, calcium, iron, and removes toxins.

But people suffering from diabetes should not overuse persimmons - they contain a lot of glucose and sugar.

What is made from persimmon

This wonderful fruit can not only be eaten raw for pleasure. Persimmons are used to make salads, pies, jam, wine, and casseroles. By the way, it is suitable not only for making desserts - this fruit goes well with fish, meat, smoked meats and offal.

If you know how to choose a delicious persimmon, you can conduct any experiments, combining it with other fruits or adding it to meat dishes and salads with cheese, nuts, and herbs. But if you were forced to artificially reduce the viscosity of persimmons using the freezer, you should not thermally treat this fruit - its annoying taste may return.