Dried persimmon is an unusual delicacy originally from Japan, where the dish is called “Hoshigaki”. At home, dried fruits are used as an independent dish; in China, drunken punch is made from it.
Moreover, this delicacy has a second name - “Natural sweets” and is an excellent alternative to sweets.
In Russia, dried persimmon is not the most popular treat. And in vain, since in addition to taste, the dried fruit has medicinal properties:
- normalizes the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract;
- lowers blood pressure and improves the functioning of the cardiovascular system;
- prolongs the youth of the body;
- is an anti-inflammatory and anti-cold remedy;
- used in the fight against cancer.
That is why you need to know how to properly dry persimmons at home so that they remain both tasty and healthy at the same time.
Choosing persimmons for drying
The taste of dried or sun-dried persimmon directly depends on the quality of the raw materials used. When selecting, they look first of all at the ripeness of the fruit and the condition of its stalk.
Comment! According to botany, persimmon is not a fruit, but a berry of a tree of the Ebony family.
Overripe, too juicy fruits with cracked skin are not suitable. Also, do not take astringent fruits for drying. The best option is a moderately ripe persimmon of bright orange color with intact, clean skin without defects (cracks, spots). Even the smallest drying damage can become a breeding ground for mold.
The stalk should be dense and dry. Green color indicates the immaturity of the fruit. The dried tail should not be easily separated from the fruit.
Fruit without a stalk is not suitable for whole-fruit drying
You should not take fruits that have undergone long transportation or storage for drying. Too small specimens are also not suitable for blanks. During the drying process, they will significantly lose size.
The quality of the finished product also depends on the selected variety. Most often, the persimmons chosen for drying are Ukrainka, Korolek, Shokoladnitsa or Bull's Heart.
Korolek is an early variety that is distinguished by the presence of small seeds. Ukrainian is a variety whose fruits are heart-shaped. Due to the absence of seeds, it is most often taken for preparations.
Bull's heart is the variety with the largest fruits. It can only be dried in climates where the weather is consistently dry for two to three months. When dried in the oven, this species loses some of its taste. The chocolate maker ripens later than everyone else, so it is only suitable for cooking in an electric dryer or oven.
Comment! One of the features of the fruit is that it is not wormy.
Preparing persimmons for drying
Before making dried persimmons at home, you need to properly prepare the main ingredients and equipment. This process directly depends on the chosen method of drying the fruit.
When drying outdoors under the sun, it is not recommended to wash fruits. If moisture gets on the stalk it will cause rotting. Therefore, before hanging, the fruit is simply wiped with a soft cloth or paper napkin, removing particles of soil.
If the oven is chosen as the drying method, then the fruits are rinsed, then laid out on a towel and left to dry naturally. If the stalk and petals are too long, they are cut off, leaving only the dried tail. Thanks to this, air circulation improves and the fruit dries faster.
How to dry persimmons at home
Drying persimmons at home can be done in several ways. However, each of them requires constant monitoring. Depending on the chosen method, the preparation process lasts from several hours to 2.5 months.
How to dry persimmons in the oven
When choosing between gas and electric ovens, preference should be given to the latter. They are not characterized by temperature fluctuations, so the drying process in them occurs more evenly.
Fruits are dried in the oven, most often in the form of slices or whole fruits.
When drying slices, you must perform a certain sequence of actions:
- Remove the stem.
- Cut the fruit into slices 4-5 mm thick.
- Remove the seeds.
- Sprinkle the slices with lemon juice.
- Place the preparations on a baking sheet lined with parchment.
- Place in the oven for 6-7 hours at 60°C.
You can improve air circulation by opening the door slightly or turning on the convention mode.
With the whole-fruit drying method, you must do the following:
- Place each fruit in boiling water for 10 seconds, then remove the skin.
- Place the peeled fruits on a lined baking sheet.
- Place everything in the oven for 8 hours at 60°C.
- Turn on convection mode (required).
Persimmon dried in the oven loses some of its taste. However, this is the only way to dry the product under unfavorable climatic conditions.
Drying persimmons in an electric dryer
You can also make dried persimmons at home in an electric dryer. The dehydrator is great not only for preparing fruits and vegetables, but also for drying mushrooms, herbs, berries and even drying meat.
Using an electric dryer implies the following algorithm of actions:
- Cut off the stem, chop the fruit into thin slices, remove the seeds.
- Arrange the fruit pieces in a single layer on the rack.
- Set the “Fruit” mode or the temperature to 60 °C.
- Cook for at least 6 hours.
You can speed up the process by pre-blanching whole fruits in a boiling soda solution (5 g per 5 liters of water). This household appliance cannot dry whole fruits. But there is an opportunity to experiment with cutting them.
Comment! If you cut the fruits into cubes and cook them in an electric dryer for 20 hours, you will get delicious candied fruits.
You can also make fruit chips in an electric dryer.
Dried persimmons in the microwave
If you don’t have an oven or dryer, you can cook dried fruits in the microwave.
To do this you need:
- Separate the stem, cut the fruit into thin slices, remove the seeds, if any.
- Place the slices on a flat dish.
- Cook for 20 minutes on the “Defrost” mode or at the lowest possible heat.
- Open the appliance door (10 minutes) and allow excess moisture to escape.
- Repeat the “heating-evaporation” cycle until the product is completely ready.
The microwave drying option is considered one of the fastest
Comment! According to nutritionists, when using a microwave, most of the beneficial vitamins disappear.
How to dry persimmons on threads in the fresh air
You can also wilt persimmons at home in a natural way. To do this, you need favorable climatic conditions or a dry, well-ventilated room. Most often this method is used by residents of the southern regions.
The drying method is as follows:
- Rinse the fruit and dry it naturally.
- Prepare a thin rope or strong thread and an awl.
- Start stringing the fruit onto the thread, piercing the dried stalks. The distance between the fruits should be 10-15 cm.
- Hang the preparations indoors, cover them with gauze to prevent insects.
- Dry for 7 to 14 days, then store.
To prevent dried fruits from sticking together when storing, you can lightly “powder” them with flour.
Store dried fruits covered with a breathable cloth
How to dry whole persimmons
Drying whole persimmons at home is very simple. This method was used many generations ago.
Pre-cleaned fruits are laid out on a tray so that they do not come into contact with each other. The fruits are dried during the day and taken indoors at night. During daylight hours, they are turned over 3-4 times, thus preventing the occurrence of mold.
The duration of the process depends on weather conditions and size
On average, the method takes 2-2.5 months. It allows you to preserve the largest amount of vitamins and beneficial nutrients.
Drying persimmons in Japanese
The Japanese method is very similar to the thread drying method. However, there are also differences. Before stringing the fruits, they are blanched in boiling water for 3-5 seconds. After this, the fruit garland is hung in a dry room and the fruit is kneaded with your hands every four to five days. Japanese drying takes approximately 5 weeks.
Thanks to blanching and “massage,” the persimmon acquires a jelly-like pulp inside and can be stored for a very long time.
This natural sweetness is called “hoshigaki” in Japan.
Drying persimmons in Armenian style
The Armenian method also includes hanging fruits on threads. After this, the algorithm of actions changes:
- First, prepare syrup (50 g of granulated sugar per 1 liter of water), into which each fruit is dipped for 5 seconds.
- Then the garland is fixed vertically so that the fruits do not come into contact with anything.
- Dry the workpieces in a dark, dry room.
- After a week, when the surface becomes less sticky, the garlands are covered with gauze.
Comment! Due to the need to place the fruits in syrup, the garlands are made small (5-7 pieces).
Syrup makes dried fruits sweeter
It must be remembered that candied fruits attract many insects, so the preparations should be inspected regularly.
Drying persimmons in Abkhazian style
The main difference between the Abkhazian method and other methods is the use of unripe persimmons. The fruits are hung on a thread or twine in a well-ventilated area. From insects, the fruits are covered with clean gauze and left for 1.5 months, checking for rot and black spots every three days.
Naturally dried persimmons resemble the taste of marmalade
How to dry fruit outdoors?
Electric dryer
- Prepare fruits washed and dried on towels. Separate from the stalk and cut the fruit into thin slices.
- Place the workpieces in one layer on the trays of the electric dryer.
- Set the device temperature to 60 degrees.
- Dried slices will be ready in 7-8 hours, depending on the power of the device. In this case, thick pieces can take up to 20 hours to dry, so you need to cut the fruit as finely as possible. In order for the workpieces to dry evenly, you need to periodically change the trays, since the highest temperature will remain in the lower part of the device.
Attention! You can determine the readiness of the product by its appearance and the appearance of a crispy crust.
How to store dried and dried persimmons at home
There are several ways to store dried and dried persimmons at home. The product, prepared in a natural way, can be left in the form of garlands, having previously covered them with breathable fabric or gauze.
You can also store dried persimmons at home in glass containers. The main condition is tight closure to prevent moisture from entering. Another way is to pack dried fruits in wooden boxes, where each layer is covered with gauze.
Comment! The finished product cannot be stored in polyethylene.
The white coating on persimmons is crystallized glucose
The storage room should be dark, ventilated and dry. The product can also be placed in an enamel container, covered with a cloth and placed in the refrigerator.
Master class from specialists
Helpful tips for optimizing the preparation of dried persimmons:
- Moisture is the main enemy of treats. Do not let the fruits get wet outside. Monitor the condition of the dried fruit in the box.
- To avoid condensation, the container is covered with food paper, and the contents are sprinkled with a small portion of flour.
- It is not necessary to get rid of the fruit skin. It can be dried separately and used as sweets. To dry, lay the peels in a single layer in a ventilated area or briefly place in the oven.
- During drying or storage, a white powdery coating - glucose - may form on the surface of the persimmon. It's harmless, but still unpleasant to some people. To avoid plaque, store dried fruits in the refrigerator in an enamel bowl, covered with a kitchen towel.
- It is best to dry large-fruited varieties. A small Kinglet will also work. Just choose red specimens for use. The delicacy will be small, but sweet and healthy.
- When hanging outdoors, beware of birds and squirrels.
- Dried persimmons on the dessert table act as an independent dish or as an addition to ice cream, smoothies, etc.
Sometimes dried fruit is used in hot snacks. Drying will not take much time. The sun and wind or the oven will do most of the work for you.
