Hello, Persimmon!

In my effort to eat new types of fruit, I picked up a (fuyu) persimmon at the grocery store. It was a funny looking thing, resembling a squat tomato. I'm not a big fruit person. I usually stick to bananas, strawberries, and watermelon. Apples are pretty iffy for me. Golden delicious are the only ones I can tolerate. The other versions are okay if I smother them in peanut butter.

What cracked me up the most about this fruit, is the description I found of how to eat this fruit. Yes, I had to Google it. I didn't know if I was supposed to eat the skin, if there was a big pit in the middle, etc. Here is what I found on wikihow. Too funny!

1. Wash the persimmon.

2. Using a sharp knife cut the top(leaves) off like you would prepare a tomato.
3. Cut into any shape you desire and eat by inserting a bite sized piece into mouth, chewing and then swallowing when safe to do so.
4. Persimmons can be cooked or eaten raw. Can be made into a jam/marmalade or also be used in salads.

I peeled it and sliced it up like a tomato. What I discovered is that it's somewhat similar in texture to a mushy peach. (I'm a big texture person. I'll comment on texture before I comment on taste.) I think refrigerating it would have firmed it up a bit. But there wasn't a big pit like there is in a peach. In fact, there were only about 5 seeds, like large watermelon seeds. The skin? I guess you can eat it but it was kind of tough. And the taste? Pretty mild. On the sweet side.

The verdict? Yes, I'll buy again. But I think I'll make sure it's a little more firm by refrigerating it before slicing and add it to a fruit salad. Let me know if you've tried a persimmon and how you like to eat it.