Hachiya persimmon
Diospyros kaki · Fruit
Top 10 pairings
The Hachiya is the classic astringent persimmon — a large, glossy, acorn-shaped fruit with a pointed tip and deep orange-vermilion skin. Until it is fully ripe it is ferociously astringent, its soluble tannins seizing the mouth in a harsh, drying pucker, so it must be left to soften completely. Only when the flesh collapses to a translucent, jelly-like custard does it turn intensely sweet and honeyed, and it is this soft pulp — not firm slices — that defines the Hachiya as the great baking persimmon of puddings, breads and cookies.
Picking a good onedrag
Rock-firm, shoulders greenSlumped, winey, weeping
YieldingEveryday bestEat out of hand, or dice for salads, cheese boards and salsas.
CalyxCalyx dry and pale, still tight
Weight and giveFair weight, still smooth
SkinEven deep orange, waxy and glossy
Smell at the calyxFaint honey, clean and sweet
These cues are Persimmon's, and hold across its varieties; where this one differs, its own page says so.
What you get from one
84%
Edible part
168 g · calyx and skin off
200 g
Weight each
each one
Keeping ittap a temperature
A domestic fridge holds it about 4× longer than the counter.
90-95%
Humidity
Vented, not sealed
Airflow