Here in Italy, most of the persimmon (or cachi) trees are still heavy with fruit, their branches bending under the weight of the vibrant orange orbs (resembling miniature pumpkins!) and evoking the spirit of the Christmas Tree with their bright, bauble-like fruits.
In fact, if you slice off the top of a persimmon, you’ll find a star-shaped pattern inside—an eight-pointed star, apparently symbolizing divine protection and good fortune!
Persimmons are among the oldest cultivated plants, with origins dating back to ancient China. By the 7th century, they had spread across Asia, reaching Korea, Vietnam and Japan, where they became deeply ingrained in the culture and were eventually adopted as Japan’s national fruit, known as ‘kaki’. Interesting that Italy and Japan have similar names – cachi in italian is pronounced ‘kaki’.
Cachi fruit is delicious…the way I normally eat them is by far the easiest – I just slice the top off and spoon out the flesh – just as if I was eating a boiled egg! The sweet, silky-smooth flesh just slips down your throat and is both cooling and comforting at the same time.
As well as being rich in vitamins A and C, I can understand why it’s known for helping reduce inflammation in the gut and digestive system.
But here’s another recipe that is still simple but elegant enough to serve to guests, and ideal to have after a substantial winter meal.
RECIPE: PERSIMMON & YOGHURT with AMARETTI MORBIDI
I’m using small Mason jars – they look fun and also means they can be easily prepared ahead of time – just close the lid and keep in the fridge for a day or two. Just don’t add the slivered almonds until you actually serve the pudding.
Amaretti morbidi are Italian soft and chewy almond biscuits – similar to macaroons. I bought some of my local artisan amaretti which are deliciously light, but if you can find the famous (and my favourite) amaretti morbidi from the town of Sassello between Liguria and Piemonte then I highly recommend them! Amaretti are also gluten-free!
Serves: 1 person per jar
Preparation time: 10 minutes
No cooking
Ingredients for 1 jar
1 ripe (soft to the touch) fresh persimmon
1 x 150g small Greek yoghurt (or any thick yoghurt – coconut yoghurt would be good)
Handful of toasted, slivered almonds
Sprinkle of cinnamon sugar (mix brown sugar & ground cinnamon)
1 or 2 amaretto morbido (or any soft almond biscuit or macaroon)
Method
Have your small mason jar and 2 small mixing bowls to hand
Toast the slivered almonds in a dry frypan until lightly coloured. Remove and put aside.
Slice the top off the persimmon and spoon out the pulp into one of the small bowls. Give it a gentle mash with a fork to make the flesh smoother.
Put the yoghurt into the other small bowl and whip it briefly with a fork until it’s easy to spoon.
Take your small mason jar.
Cover the bottom with some of the persimmon pulp then spoon on a layer of yoghurt. Repeat until you finish with yoghurt.
Sprinkle some cinnamon sugar over the yoghurt
Then scatter over some toasted slivered almonds
Serve on a plate with an amaretto morbido on the side.
Options: a little chopped crystallized ginger stirred into the mixture adds a piquancy and exoticness to the dessert – or using coconut yoghurt would give it a more tropical taste.
