OFF THE SHELF
Sweetness of the persimmon emerges in drying

By Wanda A. Adams
Advertiser Food Editor

Dried persimmons can be used in baking in place of raisins or dates. Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser

Dried persimmons are a treasured confection in Japan and South Korea as well. In Japan, they are presented as gifts at Shinto shrines and home altars and are served during the tea ceremony. In South Korea, a favorite winter beverage is sujunggwa, a sweet tea made with dried persimmons and ginger.

Drying brings out the sweetness in persimmons, particularly varieties that are too tart to enjoy when they're fresh. Native Americans dried the native persimmon (Diospyros virginiana, a small fruit more like a date) and made a sort of unleavened bread with it. Of the two varieties most common in the United States now, the more tart Hachiya is the better for drying. (Unripe, firm fruit can be peeled and dried whole in a slow oven or home dryer — it takes the better part of a day.)

Japan is said to have perfected the art of drying persimmons naturally, by hanging them from the stems, and several prefectures boast of the quality of their products. In Yanagawa town, persimmons are threaded one on top of the other and hung up to dry under the eaves of homes, creating a beautiful orange "persimmon curtain." Wind-dried persimmons are something of a fad on the U.S. Mainland now. Suikanshuku is a sweet made by stuffing dried persimmons with a sweet white bean paste.

Persimmons taste like a sweet combination of pumpkin, plum and honey. They can be very sweet when dried and may be used like raisins or dates — in breads or soft bar cookies, for example. Just remove any seeds and the hard cap and snip with a kitchen scissors.