Persimmons — season, tips, and recipes in New Zealand
Persimmons is a fruit available in New Zealand during March, April, May, June, peaking in April, May. This page is a practical guide for home cooks: when to buy persimmons, how to pick a good one, how to store it, what it goes well with, three original recipes, and detailed nutrition information.
Grown in NZ since the early 1900s, mainly in Hawke's Bay and Bay of Plenty. The trick is knowing which type you have: firm-eating vs soft-eating.
How to pick a good one
Fuyu type (squat, like a tomato) can be eaten firm. Hachiya type (acorn-shaped) must be completely soft or they're inedibly astringent.
How to store it
Fuyu: room temperature, eat when ready. Hachiya: ripen until jelly-soft, then eat or freeze the pulp.
Goes well with
cinnamon: Persimmon's warm, honeyed sweetness is amplified by cinnamon's corresponding warmth. The combination reads as 'autumn' the way apple and cinnamon does.
walnut: Persimmon is very sweet and soft. Walnut provides bitterness, crunch, and tannins that create textural and flavour contrast.
goat cheese: Goat cheese's tang and slight grassiness sit comfortably against persimmon's sweetness. A simple combination that works as a starter or on bread.
prosciutto: The same logic as melon with prosciutto. Sweet, soft fruit against salty, fatty cured meat. Persimmon's density makes it hold up to prosciutto better than more watery fruit.
Recipes
Persimmon & Goat Cheese Salad
Autumn elegance. 5 minutes.
Ingredients: 2 persimmons (Fuyu type), 80g goat cheese, handful rocket, 2 tbsp walnuts, 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp balsamic
Method: Slice persimmons thinly. Arrange with rocket. Crumble cheese, scatter walnuts. Dress with oil and balsamic.
Persimmon Bread
Like banana bread but autumn-coloured.
Ingredients: 2 very ripe persimmons (Hachiya, scooped), 200g flour, 150g sugar, 2 eggs, 80ml oil, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp cinnamon
Method: Mix persimmon pulp with eggs, oil, sugar. Fold in flour, baking soda, cinnamon. Pour into loaf tin. Bake 170C for 50 min.
Cinnamon Persimmon Compote
On pancakes, yoghurt, porridge.
Ingredients: 3 persimmons (diced), 2 tbsp brown sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, squeeze lemon, splash water
Method: Simmer everything 10 min until soft and jammy.
Nutrition
One persimmon provides 55% of your daily vitamin A and 22% of your vitamin C. Contains more tannins (astringent compounds) than almost any other fruit. Rich in manganese. About 70 calories per 100g. The Fuyu variety can replace an apple as a snack with significantly more vitamin A.