Yesterday, my grandparents & my grandmother's sister had come to my house.
And I asked them how to make "Hoshigaki (dried persimmons)".
I'm trying to make Hoshigaki for the first time!
It's a Japanese traditional sweets from 9 century.
Hoshigaki is made from astringent persimmons.
(Of course, you can make it from sweet persimmons.)
Astringent persimmons are called "Shibugaki" and it's different from usual persimmons.
Even if it ripened, it still have astringency taste because of its tannin.
Astringent persimmons have a puckery taste and we can't eat without processing.
But actually, astringent persimmons have higher or same sugar content than usual sweet persimmons.
Astringency & bitter & sour come off by drying it, and it become a very sweet dried fruit!
(Usually of Japan, persimmons are sweet. But I heard it's bitter in USA usual. Is that true???)
When you try it...
Peel persimmons, fasten strings around sprays, and hang it under the eaves.
Be careful that they don't stick each other.
You have to save them from rain, mold and birds.
When rain hit them, bring it into your house.
At about 1 week-10 days later, when its surface has dried up, crumple & massage them softly.
Another 3-5 days later, do it again.
This step will separate sarcocarp & its seed.
After 2-3 weeks from the first day, it'll become Hoshigaki.
Mm...It's only 10 persimmons.
I think I need more for enjoying Hoshigaki enough...
I'm going to go to a direct sales shop of farmer to buy more persimmons tomorrow!
At this time, to enjoy kimono and please my grandmother, I wore the wool kimono & hanhaba-obi she gave me.
Tied the obi in Kainokuchi, put Tabi-sox on, and wore Hanten (a padded short coat) to warm.
It looks like daily style of the age when Japanese people was wearing kimono for everyday life.
Very comfortable and easy to move! I love wool kimono the best!
Oden, that's so exciting! I did not know that persimmons can be dried! I wish I could try them too. To answer your question about American persimmons, all the ones I tried were sweet. Sometimes if they are not ripe enough, they will leave somewhat tart taste in the mouth but all the ripe ones are very sweet.
ReplyDeleteLyuba-chan, Yes, it's an exciting ancient wisdom!
ReplyDeleteI added details of how to make Hoshigaki. if you can get some persimmons, you can try it. (^-^)
But 90% of persimmons in the world are grown in China, Korea and Japan. Could you get any persimmons in your country? (^_^;)
Thank you for your answer!
That information was not true...!
I have to have an eye for a fake.(=_=)
Oden, when I lived in Florida I saw some persimmons trees grown there (in someone's backyard). We also had no problem getting persimmons in the stores, and my mom bought them often. I live in UK now, but the store where I work started carrying persimmons last week :) So I already bought and ate a lot :) I think I will try making Hoshigaki myself not too.
ReplyDeleteLyuba-chan, Wow, people can get persimmons in a lot of place of the world today!
ReplyDeleteYou wear kimono in UK, and I listen Queen in my room.
It's just "Globalization". :)
Oden, yes it is :) I'm also looking at Japanese clothes and shoes to buy :)
ReplyDeleteGoogle making Hoshigaki - there are a few step-by-step instruction sites on the internet
ReplyDeletein California the Hachiya variety of persimmon is easy to buy. In the Sacramento area there are quite a few growers of hachiya and fuyu persimmons.