Persimmon is a sweet orange fruit that is often called churma. It is a Turkish word that means beloved and sweet. Botanical name of persimmon is Diospyros which means gods food. Persimmon is very important in diet of Eastern nations and it is even called the orange sun there.
Persimmons are considered to be a dietary product. In general fruits accumulate lot of sugar, organic acids, minerals, pectin and other important substances. Persimmons are highly valued because of glucose and sucrose it contains. These fruits are useful for those who have heart diseases as they strengthen heart muscle. Persimmon also contain particularly large amount of carotene, vitamin C, iodine, iron, copper, potassium and calcium. These fruits are the one that can take a good care of our health. If we eat 2-3 persimmons per day, it is a good prevention against getting flue. Besides, carotene will protect our vision and help our body to stay young.
Usually persimmons are eaten fresh. If you have bought fruits that are not quite ripe, put them to a warm water (30-40 degrees) and keep them there for 10-12 hours. The ripe fruit is as soft as butter. You can also remove the flesh with a spoon and mix it with yogurt. Add some rum, brandy or liqueur to get some subtle flavor. Persimmons are also great in salads, jelly, pudding or cakes. You can also try to prepare jam or marmalade from persimmons. In many countries, persimmons are dried and then used to make wine, cider or beer. Japanese use persimmons to make their traditional drink sake.
Did you know that you can freeze persimmons? The biggest lovers of these fruits do that in order to have these fruits all year long.