Sunday, November 8, 2009

Persimmon season in Japan



If there's one thing the Japanese love, it's seasons. They also love having the seasons reflected in their food, so nothing delights them more than the likes of the persimmon because it fairly shouts "autumn" just by being so plump and orange. One of my new Japanese pals told me that she likes to see persimmons start showing up in stores, because it's a signal that the seasons are changing. Like I said, the Japanese love seasons.



Persimmons are one of the few fruits that are native to Japan, where they are called kaki. The sweet ones can be sliced and eaten fresh, but bitter ones should be dried before they are eaten. Walking around Japan this time of year, you'll see persimmons hanging outside many homes.



Persimmons around here are huge. The persimmons I remember from our backyard were tiny little things, but these ones are monsters.



Persimmons are all over the place right now. Fresh, candied, for dessert at the 140-year old ryokan that I stayed at last week...




Happy kaki season. Yum.

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