Tera Warner

‘Tis The Season…for Persimmons

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by Lisa Bolard

persimmonI’ve long heard about the benefits and wonders of persimmons, but when I’ve tried them in the past, I found them to taste awful.  Now I know why.  I did some research, and realize that I had been trying an astringent variety before it was ripe enough to taste good.  Since it is now persimmon season, and I’m quite serious about eating raw over the cold months, I thought it was time to do some research on this fruit.  So here is what I found out about persimmons:

First, I thought let’s see what all the fuss is about nutritionally, and how to know what I am buying.  Below is what I gleaned from several sources.  Persimmons come in many varieties, but there are 2 categories of the fruit – astringent and non-astringent.  These different types have different nutritional benefits and are eaten in very different ways.

The astringent types account for about 90% of the market (at least in the US), and they include such varieties as the Hachiya, Eureka, Saijo, Tamopan, Tarenashi, and Triumph.  The non-astringent types include the following varieties of Fuyu (Fuyugaki), Gosho, Imoto, Izu, Jiro, Maekawajiro, Okugosho, Suruga.

permissionsAstringent varieties should be eaten only when fully ripe, which means they should be soft and mushy.  They are usually eaten peeled, and should ripen at room temperature.  Once ripe, they are only good for 1-2 days so eat them right away, and don’t buy in bulk unless you have capacity to consume them quickly.  These tend to have a sweet, date-like consistency which makes them suitable for raw puddings, pies, in smoothies with nut milks, or just by themselves.  If you want just the pulp, crush it through a colander or food mill to separate the pulp from the seeds and skin. The most common variety of the astringents found is the Hachiya persimmon.

The non-Astringent varieties should be eaten crunchy, and with the skin.  These can be kept for several months when refrigerated, so buying in bulk is easier.  These are best eaten by themselves, or in fruit or vegetable salads, quartered.  The most common variety of the non-astringents found is the Fuyu persimmon.

Nutritionally, there are differences, and I’ve chosen to focus on the 2 most common varieties available for simplicity’s sake:

  • Fuyu have more potassium and protein than Hachiya
  • Fuyu don’t have Vitamin C, but Hachiya is high in Vitamin C
  • Hachiya don’t have any Vitamin A, but Fuyu are high in Vitamin A


The following are nutritional attributes that appear to apply persimmons in general:

  • Low in saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium
  • High in soluable fiber (which is especially helpful in preventing heart disease)
  • High in beta carotene, lycopene, lutein, zeaxanthin, cryptoxanthin; the latter work against oxygen-free radicals that contribute to aging and some disease processes
  • High in minerals such as potassium, manganese, copper and phosphorus

On the anti-oxidant front:  they contain catechins and gallocatechins, and an anti tumor compound betulinic acid; Catechins are known to have anti-infective and anti-inflammatory properties