Editing Persimmon (section)

==Uses==
{{More citations needed section|date=January 2021}}{{nutritionalvalue
|name=Japanese persimmons, raw<br />''Diospyros kaki''
|kJ=293
|protein=0.58 g
|fat=0.19 g
|carbs=18.59 g
|fiber=3.6 g
|sugars=12.53 g
|calcium_mg=8
|iron_mg=0.15
|magnesium_mg=9
|phosphorus_mg=17
|potassium_mg=161
|sodium_mg=1
|zinc_mg=0.11
|manganese_mg=0.355
|vitC_mg=7.5
|thiamin_mg=0.03
|riboflavin_mg=0.02
|niacin_mg=0.1
|vitB6_mg=0.1
|folate_ug=8
|choline_mg=7.6
|vitA_ug=81
|betacarotene_ug=253
|lutein_ug=834
|vitE_mg=0.73
|vitK_ug=2.6
|source_usda=1
|note=[https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/169941/nutrients Link to USDA Database entry]
}}
Persimmons are eaten fresh, dried, [[raw food diet|raw]] or cooked. When eaten fresh, they are usually eaten whole like an apple in bite-size slices and may be peeled, although the skin is edible. One way to consume ripe persimmons, which may have soft texture, is to remove the top leaf with a paring knife and scoop out the flesh with a spoon. Riper persimmons can also be eaten by removing the top leaf, breaking the fruit in half, and eating from the inside out. The flesh ranges from firm to mushy, and, when firm owing to being unripe, has an apple-like crunch. Some varieties are completely inedible until they are fully ripe, such as American persimmons (''Diospyros virginiana'')<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Stein |first1=Larry |last2=Nesbitt |first2=Monte |last3=Kamas |first3=Jim |title=Persimmons |journal=AgriLife Extension: Texas Fruit & Nut Production |date=2013 |url=https://counties.agrilife.org/jasper/files/2014/05/persimmons.pdf |access-date=12 August 2022}}</ref> and ''Diospyros digyna''.{{Citation needed|reason=subjective|date=September 2016}} The leaves can be used to make a [[herbal tea|tisane]] and the seeds can be roasted.<ref>{{Cite book |author=Department of the Army|author-link=United States Department of the Army|title=The Complete Guide to Edible Wild Plants |publisher=[[Skyhorse Publishing]] |year=2009 |isbn=978-1-60239-692-0 |location=New York |page=76 |oclc=277203364}}</ref>{{nutritionalvalue
|name=American persimmons, raw<br />''Diospyros virginiana''
|kJ=531
|protein=0.8 g
|fat=0.4 g
|carbs=33.5 g
|fiber=n/a
|sugars=n/a
|calcium_mg=27
|iron_mg=2.5
|phosphorus_mg=26
|potassium_mg=310
|sodium_mg=1
|vitC_mg=66
|source_usda=1
|note=[https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/169943/nutrients Link to USDA Database entry]
}}

In Korea, both firm and mushy persimmons are eaten fresh. Dried persimmon fruits are known are ''gotgam'' and are used to make the traditional Korean spicy [[Punch (drink)|punch]] ''[[sujeonggwa]]'',<ref>{{Citation |last=황 |first=혜성 |title=수정과 (水正果) |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopedia of Korean Culture]] |url=https://encykorea.aks.ac.kr/Article/E0031667 |access-date=2024-08-16 |publisher=[[Academy of Korean Studies]] |language=ko}}</ref> while the matured, fermented fruit is used to make a [[persimmon vinegar]] called ''[[Persimmon vinegar|gamsikcho]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=감식초 - 디지털완주문화대전 |url=https://wanju.grandculture.net/wanju/toc/GC07000836 |access-date=2024-08-16 |website=[[Encyclopedia of Korean Local Culture]]}}</ref>

In Taiwan, fruits of astringent varieties are sealed in jars filled with [[limewater]] to get rid of bitterness. Slightly hardened in the process, they are sold under the name "crisp persimmon" (''cuishi'') or "water persimmon" (''shuishizi''). Preparation time is dependent upon temperature (5 to 7 days at {{nowrap|{{convert|25|-|28|C|F|disp=or}})}}.

For centuries, Japanese have consumed persimmon leaf tea (Kaki-No-Ha Cha) made from the dried leaves of "kaki" persimmons (''Diospyros kaki'').<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://wawaza.com/products/japanese-kaki-persimmon-leaves-bulk-tea/|title=Japanese Kaki Persimmon Leaves Bulk Tea|website=WAWAZA}}</ref>  In some areas of [[northeastern China|Manchuria]] and Korea, the dried leaves of the fruit are used for making [[tea]]. The Korean name for this tea is ''gamnip cha''.

In the US from [[Ohio]] southward, persimmons are harvested and used in a variety of dessert dishes, most notably pies. They can be used in cookies, cakes, puddings, salads, curries and as a topping for breakfast cereal. [[Persimmon pudding]] is a baked dessert made with fresh persimmons that has the consistency of [[pumpkin pie]] but resembles a [[chocolate brownie|brownie]] and is almost always topped with [[whipped cream]]. An annual persimmon festival, featuring a persimmon pudding contest, is held every September in [[Mitchell, Indiana]].

Persimmons may be stored at room temperature {{nowrap|{{convert|20|C|F}}}} where they will continue to ripen. In northern China, unripe persimmons are frozen outdoors during winter to speed up the ripening process.

Ripe persimmons can be refrigerated for as long as a couple of weeks,<ref>{{Cite news |date=24 November 2009 |title=Persimmons: How to choose, store and prepare |work=The Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.latimes.com/food/la-fo-presimmons-s-story.html |access-date=17 June 2023}}</ref> though extreme temperature changes may contribute to a mushy texture. It is recommended to store persimmons stem end down.<ref name="Guardian Australia" />

Persimmons can also be fermented in the manner of [[black garlic]].<ref name="Guardian Australia" />

===Dried===
{{Main|Dried persimmon}}
In China, Korea, Japan and Vietnam, persimmons after harvesting are prepared using traditional hand-drying techniques outdoors for two to three weeks. The fruit is then further dried by exposure to heat over several days before being shipped to market, to be sold as [[dried fruit]]. In Japan, the [[dried persimmon]] fruit is called ''hoshigaki'', in China ''shìbǐng'' (柿餠), in Korea ''gotgam'' or ''Geonsi'' (乾枾), and in Vietnam ''hồng khô'' (紅枯). It is eaten as a snack or dessert and used for other culinary purposes.

=== Nutrition ===
Persimmons have higher levels of [[dietary fiber]] and some [[dietary mineral]]s than [[apple]]s,<ref>{{Cite journal | last1 = Gorinstein | first1 = S. | last2 = Zachwieja | first2 = Z. | last3 = Folta | first3 = M. | last4 = Barton | first4 = H. | last5 = Piotrowicz | first5 = J. | last6 = Zemser | first6 = M. | last7 = Weisz | first7 = M. | last8 = Trakhtenberg | first8 = S. | last9 = Màrtín-Belloso | first9 = O. | doi = 10.1021/jf000947k | title = Comparative Contents of Dietary Fiber, Total Phenolics, and Minerals in Persimmons and Apples | journal = Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry | volume = 49 | issue = 2 | pages = 952–957 | year = 2001 | pmid =  11262055| bibcode = 2001JAFC...49..952G }}</ref> but overall are not a significant source of [[micronutrient]]s, except for [[manganese]] (17% of the [[Daily Value]], DV) and [[provitamin A]] [[beta-carotene]] (10% DV, table for raw Japanese persimmons per 100-gram amount). Raw American persimmons are a rich source of [[vitamin C]] (80% DV per 100g) and [[iron]] (19% DV).

<gallery widths="150px" heights="150px" mode="packed">
Work to make a dried persimmon.JPG|Persimmons drying in [[Kōshū, Yamanashi|Kōshū city]], Japan
Dried Kaki Fruit.jpg|''Hoshigaki'', Japanese dried oriental persimmon
Diospiros kaki Fruit IMG 5472s.JPG|Ripe kaki, soft enough to remove the [[calyx (botany)|calyx]] and split the fruit for eating
Orderly dried fruit.jpg|Peeled, flattened, and dried oriental persimmons (''shìbǐng'') in a [[Xi'an]] market
LimeKaki.JPG|Kaki preserved in [[limewater]]
Persimmon kkakdugi.jpg|''Dangam [[kkakdugi]]''
Korean persimmonwood chest.jpg|An example of persimmon wood furniture
</gallery>