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I have never eaten them but my husband's mother used to make Persimmon Pudding with them and so does his aunt. I have several recipes for it and even bought a special mold to use for the pudding, but I lost interest somewhere along the line. I have intentions of still doing it but I think they're in season sometime in early fall (?) and I have to remind myself to try it. Apparently they're good but don't ask me!!!
I love them. The Asian varieties are better than the American ones, IMO, but some of the cultivated American varieties are better than the wild ones. A guy named Jim Claypool did a lot of work breeding and keeping notes on a ton of American varieties. Another guy from the city I just moved from in Southwest Indiana is a major persimmon grower and picked up where Jim left off after he died, that information can be found here if anyone is interested:
For most varieties you have to wait until they're really soft and mushy, almost spoiling, before you eat them. Otherwise they're really astringent and full of tannins. Unripe ones produce a mouth feel that's like chewing on dissolved paper and that feels like it's sucking the moisture out of your mouth.
If you let them get fully ripe they're completely different. Really sweat, not astringent at all, and with a really nice and unique flavor kind of like a spiced apricot. Sort of similar to pumpkin too but much sweeter.
Some of the Asian varieties are non-astringent (like Fuyu) and can be eaten while still firm without much astringency. I don't think they taste as good though. All of the American varieties are astringent, and usually smaller and seedier (most of the commercial Asian varieties are seedless).
There are several varieties of persimmons. Most folks will either buy the Fuyu or the Hachiya at the grocery store. The Fuyu is flat and firm - and can be eaten while firm or soft. The Hachiya is acorn-shaped, very astringent, and should be eaten when soft.
I use the Fuyu in recipes because its texture is similar to an apple and the flavor is sugary sweet - a nice complement to cranberries and apples.
Now see - different tastes - I guess. I love the native American wild persimmons. But they are chock full of seeds. In my experience, the large Japanese variety are tasteless. Just tasteless. Not so many seeds, tho. Never had an American tame cultivar, so can't speak on them.
Native persimmons have a very short picking/ripeness period. Get it right, and sweet they are.
If you get a mouth pucker feeling, they aren't ripe yet. The pucker goes away when they become soft and sweet.
In Brown County, Indiana, when the persimmons are ripe, pretty much every restaurant around puts out signs to announce they have persimmon pudding and persimmon ice cream for sale.
Persimmons are native to southeastern US, and grow wild all over, but like crab apples, quince, and paw paws, all common fruits of our grandparents' time, they are becoming harder and harder to find.
If you want details, here's more than you ever wanted to know...
I had some quince sauteed in butter with a little white wine, sugar, and cinnamon a couple hours ago. I found these at the Meijer here which is a pretty good place to find uncommon produce, they even had Bhudda's hand citron last week.
Not native to the US but still fairly common in people's yards back home in Indiana. My parents had a tree in their yard when I was little and my mom used to make jelly with them. There are still a lot of them in people's yards but most people don't know what to do with them anymore.
They're still pretty common in Mexico where they make a paste from them called Dulce de Membrillo. In Spain, Italy, and many South American countries too.
I'll see what type the local markets carry and ask the produce person how to pick a nice ripe and juicy one.
It's ok if they are hard when you buy them. Keep them in a cool room and they will ripen up. It will take a few weeks, if they are sold firm where you live, like they are here.
Location: On the "Left Coast", somewhere in "the Land of Fruits & Nuts"
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Originally Posted by dougie86
I love dried persimmons (kakis), but hard to find them and expensive. Our weather is so wet, not sure if I should hang the fresh fruits up for drying.
They're also somewhat common at this time of year here in the Sierra foothills in California. When ripe and chilled, they have an exquisitely rich flavor and color, with a flesh similar to a good mango or peach. And yes, too tart usually means not ripe enough. My favorite way is to slice 'em thin before they get too soft and ripe, skin and all, and dry them in a food dryer, then they'll keep in sealed baggies for months. Makes a healthy and chewy snack!
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I found these at the Meijer here which is a pretty good place to find uncommon produce, they even had Bhudda's hand citron last week. 
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