Anyone here ever eat a persimmon?

[Sploops]

Are they good?  What do they taste like?  Where can I buy one in New England this time of year?

[A.M. Thomas]

I recently made a tweet about how great persimmons are!

They are very sweet and one of the best fruits I've ever had.  Unlike peaches, you could probably eat a whole bunch without getting tired of them.  I purchased my persimmon at a local Asian fruit and vegetable grocer and I imagine you could do the same.

[The Haacksawist]

Is this similar to a Cinnabon?  I have eaten one of those.  And it was delicious.

[Man Machine]

In southern Indiana I used to have persimmon pudding, but I associate it more with Autumn.

[Trotskie]

Try cutting one in half and then freezing it.  As it thaws just a bit, you can scrape/scoop out its innards.  It has a milkyness about it that is refreshing; like sherbet.  Or maybe gelato.  I can never remember the difference.

Either way, true story.

[JustSheaNo]

Typically you can find fuyu persimmon in Japanese food markets. They are very common around the christmas/new years holiday here in the west.

They must be very, very, ripe, to the point of looking blemished, before they are ready to eat. At readiness they are meltingly soft and sweet.

An underripe persimmon is astringent and chalky tasting, like a mouthful of raw flour and a chaser of SeaBreez.

[steve davidson]

and all this time i couldve been eating underripe persimmons.

[A.M. Thomas]

Typically you can find fuyu persimmon in Japanese food markets. They are very common around the christmas/new years holiday here in the west.

They must be very, very, ripe, to the point of looking blemished, before they are ready to eat. At readiness they are meltingly soft and sweet.

An underripe persimmon is astringent and chalky tasting, like a mouthful of raw flour and a chaser of SeaBreez.

Ahhh, I do remember that I had to wait a few days for it to ripen, so maybe persimmons are more challenging a fruit than I thought.  I'm not sure if they're even available by me now.

[sleepytako]

Persimmons (柿 kaki in Japanese) are very popular here in the fall. I find eating them fresh, even if ripened correctly, is sometime a bit overpowering. A common thing to do with them is to hang them up and let them dry (See this blog on info on how to do it: http://nihonhacks.com/japanese-food/nothing-says-japanese-christmas-like-tsurushigaki-aka-looking-out-my-window-in-japan/. They are really good that way. My mother in law did it last winter.

My favorite persimmons are the dried organic ones that are grown in San Diego county in California by Flanigan Farms. Sometimes you can find them in supermarkets in So.Cal, but I order them online (http://www.flaniganfarms.com/). They make great gifts. I even bring them back from the States and give them out here in Japan.

Japanese language note: kaki is also the word oyster in Japanese.

[buffcoat]

and all this time i couldve been eating underripe persimmons.

Keep it up, Steve!  Don't burn out like all the others.

[steve davidson]

i quit.

[Sarah]

One way persimmons are made edible is through bletting, which medlars also must undergo before they can be eaten.

[Regular Joe]

One way persimmons are made edible is through bletting, which medlars also must undergo before they can be eaten.

I'll blett your medlars if you don't stop making up words, smarty pants!

[Gore Marie]

Yes, they're like candyyyyy. 
But, I concur the warning about eating them underripe.  I talked them up to my friend then she called me upset because she got one and it made her tongue all numb and tingly in a bad way.  Whoooops.

[Bryan]

Yeah, isn't the peel poisonous or something? That may explain the tingly tongue. (Wikipedia does not support this assertion, but I have nonetheless heard that this is the case.)