Dec

20

The Persimmon, from Leo Jia

December 20, 2012 |

It is called in China "Shizi", in Japan "Kaki", and in Isreal "Sharon fruit".

I generally have liked the fruit since my childhood, but until recently, I had never had any special feelings for it.

Don't know for what reason, but there are a lot of high quality persimmon fruits on the market this year. They are large, delicate, beautiful, colorful, bright, shiny and almost translucent. Put in the mouth, they are so tender, meaty, sweet, and have no seeds or core.

The Greek regard them as "divine fruit" or "the fruit of the gods". I feel they well deserve the titles.

a little about the health benefits from wikipedia:

The Sharon fruit was found to contain high levels of dietary fiber, phenolic compounds, potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron and manganese. They are also rich in vitamin C and beta carotene. Regular consumption of the fruit is believed to reduce the risk of atherosclerosis heart attacks. A separate research project showed that a diet rich in Sharon fruit persimmons improved lipid metabolism – the way the body copes with fat – in laboratory rats.

The fruits of some persimmon varieties contain the tannins catechin and gallocatecin, as well as the candidate anti-tumor compounds betulini acid and shibuol.

So ladies and gentlemen, bon appetit et bonne sante!


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  1. Bill Rafter on December 23, 2012 11:36 pm

    Here’s a tree that will easily grow in the U.S. (zones 6 thru 10, like figs). It’s self-fertile, which makes life easy for the grower (similar to peaches, dissimilar to apples). It flowers after the leaves are out, meaning less frost damage to the flowers. It’s a fall fruit, easy to harvest as many fruits stay on the trees after the leaves have fallen. It’s seedless. What could be easier? One persimmon tree should be growing in every person’s backyard, but no. Why?

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