Hachiya persimmons are one of my favorite fall fruits. When I was growing up in San Francisco, Mama Lin would buy pounds upon pounds of hachiya persimmons from Chinatown. She would place them inside pots and pans with apples to ripen. Then, we waited very patiently for the persimmons to ripen completely before eating.
Nowadays, I buy persimmons at the farmers market, but they’re also available in Asian supermarkets and stores like Whole Foods. When I start seeing them pop up at my farmers market, I know that colder sweater weather is just around the corner. Although their season starts around early-October in California, I find that persimmons are at their peak in November.
BACKGROUND ON PERSIMMONS
Persimmons originated in China and are known as 柿 in Chinese (pronounced shi in Mandarin; ci in Cantonese). Between the 7th to 10th centuries, the cultivation of persimmons spread to Japan and Korea and has become a large part of their respective food cultures.
The two most common persimmon varieties you’ll find are hachiya and fuyu persimmons. Hachiya persimmons are shaped like a plump teardrop with a thick and round end and a pointed tip on the other. Fuyu persimmons, on the other hand, are flat and round. In America, these persimmon varieties are commonly known by their Japanese names, hachiya and fuyu. I haven’t been able to find out why this is the case, but I suspect Japanese-owned farms were the first to grow persimmons commercially in America.
HOW TO PICK
In general, persimmons have orange skin with a leaf and stem at the top. As persimmons ripen, their skin transitions to a deeper orange hue. Hachiya persimmons are usually sold unripe and rock solid.
When picking hachiyas, look for fruits without too many blemishes. Don’t be put off by large black spots on the skin. Those are just sunspots where the fruit has been facing the sun for long periods. Try to avoid persimmons with tiny holes on the skin, as it might mean that an insect has come around to taste the fruit first.
HOW TO RIPEN HACHIYA PERSIMMONS
Hachiya persimmons are an astringent variety and must be eaten when they are completely ripe and soft, like the ripest plum you can imagine. If you eat one that’s not fully ripe, you’ll experience a very unpleasant sensation in your mouth, as if all the moisture has been sucked away completely.
To ripen hachiya persimmons, Mama Lin suggests placing them in a pot or deep sauté pan (leaf side down) along with an apple or two. If the persimmon has a long stem, trim the stem or lay the fruit on the side. Cover the pot or saucepan with a lid.
Apples release ethylene gas, which encourages ripening. After about a week, the persimmons should be soft and ready to eat.
HOW TO EAT HACHIYA PERSIMMONS
Ripe hachiya persimmons should have a deep orange color on the skin (almost red-orange). To see if the persimmon is ripe enough to eat, hold onto the fruit and press it gently with your thumb. It should feel as if the fruit is about to burst, like a very ripe plum. Sometimes, when the persimmon is very ripe, the skin will start tearing slightly, too.
Peel off the calyx (leaf and stem portion). Then, use your thumbs to split the persimmon open into two halves. At this stage, I usually just slurp the fruit with my mouth. Because the fruit is very juicy, I recommend doing this over the sink or a bowl. You can also scoop out the flesh with a spoon.
You can bake with ripe hachiya persimmons by mashing up the pulp and adding it to quickbreads and muffins.
How to Ripen & Eat Hachiya Persimmons
Ingredients
- hachiya persimmons
- 1 to 2 apples, any apple works
- large pot or deep sauté pan with lid
Instructions
- Arrange the persimmons calyx (or leaf) side down inside a large pot (or deep sauté pan). If the persimmon still has a stem attached that’s preventing it from laying flat on the leaves, trim the stem with kitchen shears. Alternatively, you can lay the fruit on its side, but this takes up more room inside the pot, so you won’t be able to fit as many persimmons. Make sure to leave a space or two for the apple(s).
- Place the apple(s) in the pot. Try not to stack the apples on top of the persimmons. Hachiya persimmons soften significantly as they ripen and the weight of the apple may crush the persimmons before you’re ready to eat them.
- Cover the pot (or sauté pan) with a lid. Let the fruits sit for 6 to 7 days and then check the fruits.
- The color of the skin should have turned darker orange after 6 to 7 days of ripening. To see if the persimmons are ripe enough to eat, hold onto a fruit and press against the flesh lightly with your thumb. It should feel as if the fruit is about to burst, like a very ripe plum. Sometimes, the skin will start tearing slightly, too. These are all signs that the hachiya persimmon is fully ripe. If the fruit doesn’t seem soft enough, cover the pot with the lid, and let them ripen for another 1 to 2 days.
- Peel off the calyx (leaf and stem portion). Then, use your thumbs to split the persimmon open into two halves. You can slurp up the flesh from the skin or use a spoon to scoop it out. I don’t usually eat the skins of hachiya persimmons because there’s occasionally a trace of astringency around the skin. Enjoy!
Magdalena says
Thank you Lisa, very timely the instructions. I just bought one today in an Asian Supermarket, peeled and cut it and had that strong astringent feel in my mouth :-). but now I know that I have to be more patient and only eat them ripe!
Lisa Lin says
Yes, Magdalena! Just need to wait a few more days to a week!
Victoria says
I used to get those in the Canary Islands where they call them kakis. Gorgeous tasting fruit!
Chris says
Thank you!
I have a persimmon tree in the field next door. Small hachiya persimmons. I was lucky with the first one I ate, very sweet. The second one I tried was very astringent. Now I know how to ripen them.
Lisa Lin says
Yup, be sure to let it soften significantly–it should feel like soft ripe plum before you try eating them!
JCC says
Thanks very much!
We will use this technique to ripen our persimmons!
Lisa Lin says
Let me know how it goes!
Nadz says
Rally helpful thanks for sharing
Lisa Lin says
Thanks, Nadz!
Sharnon L Belle-Scott says
Thank you for the history on this fruit my neighbor gave me some after Thanksgiving. I want to make some muffins with this fruit. any good recipes.
Lilia says
This information about the persimmons was very helpful. Thank you
Ben P Bole says
Are Hichiya persimmons sterile?
Ruth Slagowski says
My parents had a tree when I was a kid. I have experienced the “unpleasant “ affect of an unripe persimmon….it’s exactly as you describe. As a tradition, we would always make persimmon cake for dessert at Thanksgiving. That tradition fell away after moving to the PNW and having trouble finding this variety. After reading this article, I’m inspired to go on the “great persimmon search”