Q: Is “sharon” fruit skin really edible which I read this weekend? If so why do we peel it?

A: The skin of the Persimmon or sharon fruit, like that of a apple, can be tough, and therefor is often removed, before eating. Like an apple though, the skin can be eaten.

Persimmon have been enjoyed as a fruit for a long time, known to the ancient Greeks as “the fruit of the gods“. They are light yellow-orange to dark red-orange in colour. The calyx often remains attached to the fruit after harvesting, but becomes easier to remove as it ripens. They are high in glucose and possess various medicinal uses. It is a true berry by definition. Persimmons, especially the Israeli variety, contain very high levels of soluble tannins and are unpalatable if eaten before softening. These tannins disappear with ripening.

Israeli horticulturalists from the Sharon Valley transformed one variety of the fruit to one with commercial value and renamed it Sharon Fruit after the valley.

The Japanese Persimmon is the most widely cultivated species. Known as the sweet persimmon, it is ready to eat even when it’s firm as an apple. It ripens to varying degrees of softness, until it becomes transparent and jelly-like, making an excellent dessert mousse when mixed with cream.

Persimmon Recipes

Baked Persimmon Pudding

Poached Persimmons

Persimmon Cheesecake

Wickedfood Cooking School

Sunninghill – (011) 234-3252 sunninghill@wickedfood.co.za

Wickedfood Cooking school runs cooking classes throughout the year at its purpose-built
cooking studios. Classes are run in the mornings and evenings 7 days a
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