Dried persimmon

Dried persimmon
Dried persimmons
Alternative names Dried persimmon
Type Dried fruit
Region or state East Asia
Main ingredients Oriental persimmon

Dried persimmon is a type of traditional dried fruit.[1] Known as shìbǐng (柿餅) in Chinese, hoshigaki (干し柿) in Japanese, and gotgam (곶감) in Korean, it is traditionally made in the winter, by air drying Oriental persimmon. It is a popular snack food in East Asia, and is also used to make wine, and in creating other desserts.

Production

Persimmons, strung up by their stems, being air dried in Kōshū, Japan.
Modern persimmon-drying rack used instead of traditional straw ropes, in Hahoe Folk Village, Korea

Dried persimmons are made from various varieties of Oriental persimmon. Persimmons, when fully ripe, are thin-skinned, soft and sweet. Persimmons used to create dried persimmons are harvested when they are under-ripe, firm, astringent, and bitter.[2]

China

In China, the persimmon fruit are peeled and dried on wooden trays after harvesting.

Japan

In Japan, the fruit are peeled and then suspended by strings from their stems.[3] They are massaged daily after they have started to dry.[4] This gives the dried persimmon from Japan a distinctive shape and texture that is different from those from China and Korea.[5]

Korea

In Korea, the persimmons are peeled and dried, tied with saekki (rice straw ropes) and hung in sunny, well-ventilated place, for example to the eaves of the house.[6][7] When the color turns brown and the outer part hardens, the seeds are removed and the persimmons are sealed again and flattened.[8] After around three weeks, when the fruits reach 75% of their original weight, they are covered in dried rice straw and stored in a box in a cool place until the drying process is completed, and a white powdery crust of persimmon sugar forms on the outside.[1] Sangju in North Gyeongsang Province is famous for its dried persimmons.[9][10]

Nutrition

Korean gotgam usually consists of 32% moisture, 6.3% protein, 0.44% fat, 44.8% carbohydrate, 15% fiber, and 1.99% ash.[8]

Culinary use

In Korean cuisine, dried persimmons can be consumed themselves, or used as an ingredient in other foods. For example, gotgam-ssam (dried persimmon wrap) is made by wrapping a walnut with dried persimmon.[8] Dried persimmon with pine nuts inserted are served with suksil-gwa (a fruit confection) or fresh fruits.[8] Dried persimmons are also one of the main ingredients for sujeonggwa (cinnamon punch).[8]

The Korean folktale "The Tiger and the Dried Persimmon" features a tiger scared of dried persimmon.[11][12]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Means, Becky (2 August 2010). "Dried Persimmon". Houston Press. Retrieved 3 June 2017.
  2. ↑ "gotgam" 곶감. Doopedia (in Korean). Doosan Corporation. Retrieved 3 June 2017.
  3. ↑ Wan Yan Ling. "Grocery Ninja: Dried Persimmons Are a Taste of Honeyed Sunshine". www.seriouseats.com. Serious Eats. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  4. ↑ "How To Make Hoshigaki (Dried Persimmons)". Root Simple. 13 November 2012. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  5. ↑ Mucci, Kristy (November 15, 2016). "This is the Kobe Beef of Dried Fruit". SAVEUR. Retrieved 19 May 2018.
  6. ↑ Korea Tourism Organization (5 October 2016). "Seasonal foods to eat this fall". Stripes. Retrieved 3 June 2017.
  7. ↑ "First lady to treat Trump couple with personally made refreshments". Yonhap News Agency. 7 November 2017. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 이, 효지. "gotgam" 곶감. Encyclopedia of Korean Culture (in Korean). Academy of Korean Studies. Retrieved 3 June 2017.
  9. ↑ Chung, Kyung-a (October 2014). "Season of Beauty, Season of Plenty". KOREA. Korean Culture and Information Service. Retrieved 3 June 2017.
  10. ↑ Kim, Sun-mi; Kim, Sarah (20 August 2015). "Taste of a fruit is the only trace of a happy youth". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 3 June 2017.
  11. ↑ Wi, Ki-cheol (2004). The Tiger and Dried Persimmon. Kookminbooks. ISBN 8911022241. Lay summary – Korea Literature Translation Institute.
  12. ↑ "The Tiger and the Persimmon" (PDF). Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art. University of Oregon. Retrieved 3 June 2017. Lay summary.
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