Autumn in Japan is the season when fields exhale, rice granaries fill and village shrines hold festivals of thanksgiving. Woven into this season of gratitude is the Japanese persimmon.
By the time the air grows crisp enough for the year’s first sweater, kaki are already everywhere: piled in supermarkets, sliced into bentos or drying from the eaves as hoshigaki, their sweetness concentrating day by day.
To eat a persimmon in autumn is to taste the abundance of the season.
Flavors of the Japanese Fall
Persimmons can be broadly divided into two groups: non-astringent and astringent. Here are well-known varieties from both groups.
富有柿 Fuyu Gaki
If there were to be a king of sweet persimmons, many would crown Fuyu, prized for its rich sweetness, soft yet crisp texture and vibrant color.
Non-astringent persimmons such as Fuyu Gaki are typically roundish and can be eaten as they are once they ripen.
One of the most common ways to enjoy them is to peel them, discard any seeds and slice the fruit into wedges - just like serving an apple.
If you want it even sweeter - or just softer - the Fuyu persimmon can be ripened for a few days at room temperature.
次郎柿 (治郎柿) Jiro Gaki
Rivaling Fuyu is Jiro Gaki, another non-astringent persimmon variety with a loyal following.
Squarer and slightly larger, it can be recognized by the four shallow ridges running down the sides.
Compared with Fuyu persimmons, Jiro Gaki is crispier and crunchier, making it a good choice for salads or yogurt.
蜂屋柿 Hachiya Gaki
Hachiya persimmons are one of the best-known varieties of the astringent type.
Acorn-shaped fruits with vivid orange skin, they contain an almost weaponized level of tannin when unripe - the kind of astringent persimmon that glues your mouth dry if you get impatient and eat them before you should.
As they ripen, the skin turns translucent, the fruit softens to a jelly and the astringent bite disappears.
To speed up the ripening process, you can put Hachiya in a paper bag with apples or bananas. These fruits release ethylene, the plant hormone that tells the persimmon it’s time to relax and soften up.
To enjoy ripe Hachiya as it is, chill it in the refrigerator and scoop the flesh out with a spoon. The soft pulp also makes it a nice topping for oatmeal, granola or yogurt.
市田柿 Ichida Gaki: The Little Frosty Kaki
Almost all of the astringent persimmons harvested in Ichida village, Nagano prefecture, are dried.
Shaped like a small bell - it weighs only about 20-30g - this little kaki is the source of one of Japan's most well-known hoshigaki.
The craft behind hoshigaki is simple, patient and rooted in the rhythm of the season. The fruit is peeled, the top is cut and each persimmon is tied with string and hung to dry in the open air.
Over the following weeks, they are massaged gently. What emerges after about a month is a treat of concentrated sweetness and chewy softness.
Dried Ichida persimmons, in particular, have a refined sweetness and an elegant coating of the crystallized sugar called shiso (柿霜) - persimmon frost.
How Persimmons Are Enjoyed in Japan Today
Ripe kaki are usually eaten as is but they are versatile and slip seamlessly into both washoku and Western dishes.
Traditional Japanese Persimmon Dishes
Kaki namasu: A bright New Year side dish where julienned persimmon and daikon radish are dressed with vinegar. The sweetness of the fruit softens the sharpness of the radish and rice vinegar.
Kaki no shiraae: Pieces of sweet persimmon mixed with blanched vegetables in a sesame-flavored tofu dressing. The fruit adds color, crunch and a gentle sweetness.
Kaki tempura: Thin slices of less-ripe Fuyu or other non-astringent persimmon are battered and fried. The outside turns crisp; the inside warms into soft sweetness.
Who Doesn't Love Persimmon? Kaki with a Western Flavor
As persimmons made their way from East Asia to the West, cooks found new ways to use them. Here are some of the standouts.
Persimmon salads: Slices of sweet persimmon tossed with arugula, nuts and salty cheese such as feta and gorgonzola. A balsamic vinegar and olive oil dressing makes the sweetness of the persimmons shine.
Bruschetta with persimmon: Toasted bread spread with cream cheese or ricotta and topped with thin slices of Fuyu persimmon and prosciutto. The result is a Japanese-Italian snack ideal with wine.
Persimmons can also be tucked into desserts such as panna cotta, pavlova or parfaits, where their color invites autumn to the table.
Kaki no Shiraae: Persimmons in a Creamy Tofu Dressing
Shiraae (白和え), pronounced shi-ra-ah-eh, is one of Japan’s most elegant tofu-based side dishes.
A cousin to goma ae, it belongs to the family of dishes where vegetables and fruit are dressed with a tofu sauce. In Japanese cuisine, the word 'ae' (和え) means to mix, to season, to dress; 'shira' (白) refers to the white tofu itself.
The dish is no ordinary side dish - it’s part of shojin ryori, the plant-based cuisine developed in Zen Buddhist temples. Shojin ryori avoids animal products, onion, garlic and strong seasonings. Instead, it draws out the natural flavor of seasonal ingredients.
Shiraae is typically made with mashed tofu (firm or silken), konnyaku, shiitake or shimeji mushrooms, vegetables such as spinach, chrysanthemum greens or green beans, sesame paste, ground sesame and a touch of soy sauce.
Swap the usual carrot for ripe persimmons and you'll have persimmon shiraae, a creamy, savory-sweet side dish that serves up the Japanese autumn in a bowl.
But the flavor depends on how well you drain the tofu and remove excess moisture from the vegetables so resist the temptation to skip these steps. Dressing the vegetables right before serving will also prevent the dish from becoming watery.
Persimmon Shiraae Recipe
Ingredients (serves 2-3)
Silken tofu – 300 g
2 medium-sized sweet persimmons
Konnyaku (konjac) – 40 g
Spinach – 3 stalks
Hot water – as needed
Walnuts - a handful; optional
Toasted sesame seeds - optional
(A)
White sesame paste – 1 tbsp
Ground white sesame seeds – 1 tsp
Light-colored dashi – 1 tsp
Sugar – 1 tsp
Soy sauce – 1 tsp
Salt – a pinch
(If you don't have ground white sesame seeds, add an extra tablespoon of white sesame paste - use the best you can find. Alternatively, you can substitute the paste with bottled sesame dressing though this will change the flavor noticeably.)
Instructions
Wrap the silken tofu in kitchen paper towels and heat it in a microwave oven at 600W for 3 minutes. (Use firm tofu instead of silken if you want a chunkier dressing.)
Peel the persimmons; cut it and the konnyaku into thin strips. (If you would like to serve the shiraae in the persimmons, cut the top off and scoop out the fruit, leaving a rim of about 5 mm.)
Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the carrot and konnyaku for 1-2 minutes. Drain well.
Boil another pot of water and add a little salt. Blanch the spinach for about 1 minute in the salted water, then cool it immediately in cold water. Squeeze out the excess water, trim off the roots and cut the stems and leaves into 2 cm lengths.
In a bowl, mash the tofu well. Traditionally, this is done using a Japanese mortar and pestle - suribachi and surikogi - but a fork works too. Use a food processor if you prefer a smoother dressing. After the tofu is mashed, add the (A) ingredients and mix thoroughly.
Add the well-drained carrot, konnyaku, spinach and walnuts, if using, to the tofu mixture. Mix well; adjust the taste with salt.
Serve chilled or at room temperature, perhaps in hollowed-out persimmon bowls for an elegant appetizer. If using toasted sesame seeds, sprinkle them over the shiraae before serving.
By Janice Tay