Selected species , South Korea , 1913 While many species of
Diospyros bear fruit inedible to humans or only occasionally gathered, the following are grown for their edible fruit:
Diospyros kaki (Oriental persimmon) Oriental persimmon, Chinese persimmon, or Japanese persimmon (
Diospyros kaki) is the most commercially important persimmon. It is native to China,
Northeast India, and northern
Indochina. It was first cultivated in China more than 2,000 years ago and introduced to Japan in the 7th century and to Korea in the 14th century. China, Japan, and South Korea are also the top producers of persimmons. It is known as
shì (柿) in Chinese,
kaki (柿) in Japanese, and
gam (감) in Korean, and it is also called a Korean mango. Known as
haluwabed (हलुवाबेद) in Nepal, where it is one of the most popular seasonal fruits, the persimmon has a long history and is used for various culinary purposes. It was introduced to California and southern Europe in the 1800s and to the
State of São Paulo, Brazil, in the 1890s, afterwards spreading across the country with the Japanese immigrants. The State of São Paulo is still the largest producer within Brazil with an area of dedicated to persimmon culture in 2003. which change tannin into the insoluble form. Such
bletting processes sometimes are jump-started by exposing the fruit to cold or frost. The resultant cell damage stimulates the release of ethylene which promotes cellular wall breakdown. Astringent varieties of persimmons also can be prepared for commercial purposes by drying.
Tanenashi persimmons will occasionally contain a seed or two, which can be planted and will yield a larger, more vertical tree than when merely grafted onto the
D. virginiana rootstock most commonly used in the U.S. Such seedlings may produce fruit with more seeds, usually six to eight per fruit, and the fruit itself may vary slightly from that of the parent tree. Seedlings are said to be more susceptible to root nematodes. The non-astringent persimmon is squat like a tomato and is most commonly sold as
Fuyu. Non-astringent persimmons are not actually free of tannins as the term suggests, rather they are far less astringent before ripening and lose more of their tannic quality sooner. Non-astringent persimmons may be consumed when still firm and remain edible when soft. There is a less commonly available third type, the pollination-variant non-astringent persimmon. When fully pollinated, the flesh of this fruit is brown inside—known as
goma in Japan—and the fruit can be eaten when firm. These varieties are highly sought after.
Tsurunoko, sold as "chocolate persimmon" for its dark brown flesh;
Maru, sold as "cinnamon persimmon" for its spicy flavor; and
Hyakume, sold as "brown sugar", are the three best known.
Diospyros lotus (date-plum) Date-plum (
Diospyros lotus), also known as lotus persimmon, is native to temperate Asia and southeast Europe. Its English name probably derives from the Persian
Khormaloo خرمالو ("date-plum"), referring to the taste which is reminiscent of both
plums and
dates.
Diospyros decandra Diospyros decandra is native to
Mainland Southeast Asia, and its skin is golden yellow.
Diospyros virginiana (American persimmon) American persimmon (
Diospyros virginiana) is native to the eastern United States. Harvested in the fall or after the first frost, the fruit is eaten fresh, in baked goods, in
steamed puddings, and is used to make a mildly alcoholic beverage called
persimmon beer.
Varieties • Prok • Killen
Diospyros texana (Texas persimmon) Texas persimmon (
Diospyros texana) is native to central and west Texas and southwest Oklahoma in the United States, and eastern Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas in northeastern Mexico. The fruit of
D. texana are black, subglobose berries with a diameter of that ripen in August. The fleshy berries become edible when they turn dark purple or black, at which point they are sweet and can be eaten from the hand or made into pudding or custard.
Etymology The word
persimmon is derived from
putchamin,
pasiminan,
pechimin or
pessamin, from
Powhatan, an
Algonquian language of the southern and
eastern United States, meaning "a dry fruit". Other sources have suggested that the word "persimmon" comes from a Persian word meaning date-plum. It was first used in English in the early
17th century. ==Production==