PERFECT PERSIMMON
I was going to write something about pumpkins today, just because I really felt I should, given the time of year and all. However, I then remembered that I’m the most bah-humbug person about Halloween ever, and so I shouldn’t go against my instincts or I’ll be in a mood with myself for selling out (yes, even though I look like a woman in my late thirties, I’m actually a teenage boy rapper in my head. Also, I now have a toddler who is extremely interested in Halloween so I’m already having to spend much more time thinking about “spooky things” than I’d like!).
So, sweet, juicy, gooey persimmons it is. Also known as sharon fruit, these apple-sized soft, orange fruits really signify Autumn for me. If you’re a classic Kapha-type, then look away now, as these aren’t particularly good for your constitution, but Vata and Pitta types both benefit immensely from persimmons, especially at this time of year. As a side note here, I should point out that it’s difficult to find persimmons that are grown here in the UK, but the ones in the markets and on supermarket shelves at the moment are predominantly grown in Southern Europe, so if you’re worried about food miles, it could be a lot, lot worse!
The sweetness of the persimmon helps to re-build fluids and reduce inflammation whilst the gooiness makes it great for constipation and hemorrhoids. It’s clear then, that residual Pitta left over from the hot Summer (hah!) and rising Vata in the atmosphere (think gusty winds) are both combatted with this fruit. The sweeter the better, so wait for persimmons to turn a more reddy-orange before you eat them. If they are a paler orange and hard, then they’re also pretty astringent because of the tannic acid, making them almost inedible. Waiting until they’re perfect is one of those games where you have to check the fruit bowl every day, else you’ll miss the window and you’ll end up with a gooey inedible mess that needs a good scraping. If you’re a little anaemic like me, the persimmon is best eaten without the skin which is where most of the tannins are, and if the fruit is overripe, then it’s impossible to peel the skin off as it just dissolves!
With lots of dietary fibre (a great laxative- hi there Vatas!), calcium, magnesium, iron, vitamin C and beta carotene, iodine and manganese, persimmons are great for detoxification, hydration, electrolyte increase and the rebuilding of tissues. They are also great for anxiety, brain-fog and hangovers.
As always in Ayurveda, ‘best practice’ is to eat the fruit alone. However, I have found that they are so sweet that they make great sugar substitutes in toddler cakes (and husband-on-a-diet cakes come to think of it), especially if paired with a pinch of cinnamon and ginger.
In many places around the world, persimmons are dried and eaten much like dates are (which I for one am much more familiar with, having lived in the Middle East for some time), and I imagine that the dried ones are much easier to cook with, or to make into raw food energy balls.
Sharon fruit are only around for a short while, but they are so beneficial to those of us who suffer with imbalances around the Autumnal seasonal change. So, get them while you can (unless you’re an archetypal Kapha or someone with type 1 diabetes or fully-blown type 2 diabetes, as the sugar content may just cause some unwanted spikes). Now then, about that pumpkin…