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dried persimmons
May. 3rd, 2012 11:48 amNom nom nom.
Historically, I've loathed fresh persimmons. The mushy Hachiya type and the firm Fuyu type, both of them-- the taste just seems blandly sweet and unappealing. But now I have (re)discovered dried persimmons and I cannot stop eating them.
I think occasionally, my parents would have a type of dried persimmon that resembled flattened dry discs; I didn't mind eating those, but they really required some soaking or cutting before eating. These are different.
There's a farmer's market stand with dried fruit, including dried whole Hachiya persimmons; honestly, the first time I saw them, my reaction was "these look so hideous that they must be incredibly delicious, or they wouldn't bother selling them." Boy howdy. They are amazing. They're tender and succulent, and the drying process adds a bit of pleasant tartness/spiciness that livens up the flavor.
Trader Joe's has also started carrying a different type of dried persimmon in its freezer section-- the Fuyu-based Korean gotgam, I suppose. (IIRC they were identified/labelled as Korean on the outer cardboard sleeve, but I discarded that so I don't remember the name.) They're much more photogenic, like lovely bright orange mochi balls, but definitely pricier; they work out to ~$1/persimmon. And you have to store them in the freezer, of course. (They might make a really interesting dessert pairing with ice cream mochi, which are about the same size and which Trader Joe's also carries.)
The dried Hachiyas are larger and more shelf-stable; their number per package varies (4-7?), but the market stall charges $5 per package with a buy-4-get-1-free deal so it's 5 packages for $20. Definitely better pricing than the linked article describing traditional hoshigaki at $4 per fruit back in 2009, though maybe that was in Japan where fruit is pricier in general.
I've also seen rigid slices of dried Fuyu, but I'm just not interested in those somehow. It's all about the chompy mouthfeel. And now I must eat another dried persimmon or three.
Historically, I've loathed fresh persimmons. The mushy Hachiya type and the firm Fuyu type, both of them-- the taste just seems blandly sweet and unappealing. But now I have (re)discovered dried persimmons and I cannot stop eating them.
I think occasionally, my parents would have a type of dried persimmon that resembled flattened dry discs; I didn't mind eating those, but they really required some soaking or cutting before eating. These are different.
There's a farmer's market stand with dried fruit, including dried whole Hachiya persimmons; honestly, the first time I saw them, my reaction was "these look so hideous that they must be incredibly delicious, or they wouldn't bother selling them." Boy howdy. They are amazing. They're tender and succulent, and the drying process adds a bit of pleasant tartness/spiciness that livens up the flavor.
Trader Joe's has also started carrying a different type of dried persimmon in its freezer section-- the Fuyu-based Korean gotgam, I suppose. (IIRC they were identified/labelled as Korean on the outer cardboard sleeve, but I discarded that so I don't remember the name.) They're much more photogenic, like lovely bright orange mochi balls, but definitely pricier; they work out to ~$1/persimmon. And you have to store them in the freezer, of course. (They might make a really interesting dessert pairing with ice cream mochi, which are about the same size and which Trader Joe's also carries.)
The dried Hachiyas are larger and more shelf-stable; their number per package varies (4-7?), but the market stall charges $5 per package with a buy-4-get-1-free deal so it's 5 packages for $20. Definitely better pricing than the linked article describing traditional hoshigaki at $4 per fruit back in 2009, though maybe that was in Japan where fruit is pricier in general.
I've also seen rigid slices of dried Fuyu, but I'm just not interested in those somehow. It's all about the chompy mouthfeel. And now I must eat another dried persimmon or three.