Persimmons

Smooth, sweet, flavorful and bearing yellow-orange to orange-red hues, persimmons rank high among some fruitarians’ lists of favorite fruits!

Persimmons are in season in October and November. A persimmon without refuse weighs 25 grams and contains 32 calories.

Persimmons belong to the Ebenaceae family in the genus Diospyros. Persimmon trees bear astringent, or unripe, fruit and nonastringent fruit. A popular astringent cultivar grown in Japan is Hachiya, which must be allowed to ripen fully to a soft consistency. Nonastringent persimmons, including Fuyugaki, contain less tannin and can be eaten while crispy.

Persimmon is a powerhouse source of Vitamin C, with a 100-gram serving containing more than 100 percent of one’s Recommended Daily Intake. It contains ample amounts of iron and potassium. Persimmons contain 64 percent water by weight.

Persimmons are native to China. China is the leading producer of persimmons, growing 3.26 million tonnes in 2011, followed by Korea (390,000 tonnes) and Japan (207,000 tonnes). Brazil (154,000 tonnes) and Azerbaijan (146,000 tonnes) round out the list of leading five producers.

Stats for 100 Grams of Persimmons, (Native, Raw)

• 127 calories

Notable Nutrients

Percentages based on the Reference Daily Intake for a 2,000-calorie diet

• Vitamin C: 110%
• Iron: 13.9%
• Potassium: 8.9%

Carbs/Protein/Fat

• Carbohydrates: 95.2%
• Protein: 2.1%
• Fat: 2.6%

Food Type

• Sweet fruit

Sources

• http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/2384
• http://www.cronometer.com
• http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/persimmon-fruit.html
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persimmon