Persimmons: A Traditional Sweet Japanese Treat with Many Uses
The kaki, or persimmon, has been eaten fresh relatively recently in Japanese history; for centuries before that it was dried into the delicious hoshigaki.
A look at some dishes where this celebrated fruit makes an appearance, including the auspicious dish kōhaku namasu, often made using pickled carrots and daikon, with persimmon added to make it into kaki namasu.
In most cases, hoshigaki dried persimmon is used, with its sweetness rounding out the sourness of the vinegar.
The sweetness of the fruit pleasantly rounds out the sourness of the vinegar.
A type of wagashi from Gifu Prefecture, a region well known for its kaki production, is made with hoshigaki, sugar, and kanten, and sometimes mixed with shiroan white bean paste.
Author's summary: Persimmons are a traditional Japanese treat.
- kōhaku namasu
- hoshigaki
- wagashi