Kaki

Kaki

Synonyms:
Japanese Persimmon, Oriental Persimmon
Plural:
Kakis, Japanese Persimmons, Oriental Persimmons
Family:
Ebenaceae – Ebony Family
Species:
Diospyros kaki

Origin

The Kaki comes from East Asia and is found in Northern china, South Korea and Japan and is one of the oldest cultivated plants.

Plant

The 4 to 8 m high tree with a round crown loses its leaves in autumn, while the fruits continue to mature.

Cultivation

Today, Kakis are cultivated in plantations everywhere in the subtropics and are delivered all year round from different countries. Indeed, the “low-maintenance” Sharon fruits increasingly dominate the market, so the Kaki could become a rare exotic commodity.

Importations

In September and October we import from Spain and France, from February to April from Brazil, from April to June from Chile and New Zealand, from May to July from Peru and from September to December from California and Florida.

Fruit

Edible:
The flesh and seeds.
Better remove:
The skin.
Odour:
It is neutral.
Flavour:
It tastes similar to peach and apricot with a hint of vanilla.
Size and shape:
It is like a big tomato with a basic peduncle of four wide, robust and dark green sepals.
Bowl:
It is from golden or carroty to tomato-red; flat and thin like a tomato.
Flesh:
It is divided into segments containing about 8 edible seeds; coloured orange-red to crimson; sweet and soft like jelly.
Ripeness:
The Skin is yellow-orange, the chalice may still have a green glow; the flesh has glass-like transparecy and is sweet, soft and juicy.
Overripe fruits:
They become mushy.
Unripe fruits:
The skin has a greenish glimmer; the fruit is firm and the flesh loses its transparency.

Usage

May be eaten raw.

Storage

Ripe fruit should be stored for a maximum of two days in the fridge. Kaki can be frozen with the skin, but not the petals. Post-maturation: stored room temperature two or three days.

Tip

Kakis taste best raw — with some citrus juice, orange or apricot liqueur, perhaps with whipped cream and/or ice cream as well. Best of all, they can be eaten with a pastry and a fork and spoon.