Dehydrating Persimmon
This Fruit! Let´s start by saying that after a visit to the biggest Organic Fair in Spain (Biocultura) I have fallen in love with this fruit, even more... Why? Because I saw my Final Dissertation from Uni "Dehydrated Persimmon fruit (var. Rojo Brillante(Bright Red)) by hot air" in full display.
So, what did I actually see in Biocultura Madrid 2014? Well, a stand of Dehydrated Fruits from Valencia, my hometown. Valencia is the main Spanish producer of the best variety Bright Red selected by its firm texture and no astringency. And to my surprise, I saw the organic persimmon fruit nicely sliced and dehydrated.Yay!!
The Hard Variety
The hard variety is delicious, easy to eat and peel. All kakis are an excellent source of fibre and vitamin A.
But many consumers are lazy and cannot be bothered about trying out a seasonal fruit like this, as it is very unknown or unpopular (the soft one). So industries are even interested in buying or doing something amazing with this fruit. The result is tons of wasted Persimmon every year because the production is too big but demand too low. :-( What a pity!!!!
Kakis : Soft(left) and Firm(right)
The owners of this small company from Valencia, called Deshidratados Rexi , gave me bad news... Spain does not care at all. They export most of the dehydrated fruits and Persimmon to other countries like Japan.
Would you eat this super sweet and beautiful dehydrated slice of Persimmon fruit? Cause, let me tell you that it is delicious! I had too many of them during 9 months of lab experiments.
Apart from dehydrated slices there are many other ways of eating it, like:
- Oven Baked with cinnamon
- PersimmonTart
What about the soft variety?
I mentioned earlier that the soft persimmon is unpopular due to its watery, fibrous and soft meat. And it is a bit messy to eat as well. Not on the go!
What can you do with this soft variety apart from eating it directly? Spread it over your toast like the best healthy jam or add it to your Greek yogurt. Mmmmm!! Yummy!!
 |
| Photo from http://www.Boisdejasmin.com |
As it is a very very popular fruit in China and Japan , there are lots of interesting Chinese traditional recipes like these Persimmon Cakes!
Recipes: Go to http://www.travelchinaguide.com/tour/food/chinese-cooking/persimmon-cake.htm for this super easy recipe:
 |
| travel china guide.com |
And if you want more recipes I invite you to check out Pinterest : http://www.pinterest.com/recipes/persimmons/
So , go get those delicious Kakis before the season ends!! ( January).
(Following this post , my next one will be surprisingly nutritious for your skin too..)
