Yes, you can eat persimmon skin. On a firm Rojo Brillante, once the astringency has been removed, the skin is very thin and you eat it just like an apple's: it's a matter of taste. When the persimmon goes soft, though, hardly anyone eats it, because the little bits of skin get in the way and the good stuff is inside.
I asked Salvador, a fellow grower who farms persimmons, how they eat them at home. And while I was at it, I got a trick out of him for soft persimmons and his favourite way of eating them, which very few people know. Here's what he told me, word for word.
Can you eat the skin of a firm Rojo Brillante persimmon?
In his words: "Look, persimmon skin, being very thin, can be eaten, just like you can eat an apple's. We're talking about the firm Rojo Brillante persimmon, the one that's had its astringency removed but is still firm. You can eat it perfectly well with the skin on; it's a matter of taste."
So you don't have to peel it, and there's nothing wrong with peeling it either. You eat it the way you'd eat an apple, in bites, skin and all, or peeled if you prefer. Just remember, we're talking about the firm persimmon that's already had its astringency removed. If you're curious about that step, we explain it in how to remove the astringency from persimmons.
And the skin of the good old soft persimmon?
Here things change: "Once it gets softer, personally, I don't like eating the skin. I prefer the inside, which is really sweet, and I don't like feeling the little bits of skin."
That's what most of us do with a spoon persimmon: leave the skin on the plate and keep the pulp, which is like a purée and incredibly sweet.
Is the skin thinner at any point in the season?
I asked him whether the skin is different at the start or end of the season, and he was clear: "Persimmon skin stays more or less the same throughout its ripening. It's not thicker or thinner depending on whether it's greener or firmer. Just like an apple, it's a skin whose structure stays the same throughout the persimmon's life."
In other words, if one day the skin bothers you more, it's not because it's got thicker: it's because the flesh inside has gone softer and you notice the skin more.
How do you peel a soft persimmon without it falling apart?
His trick isn't peeling it, it's not peeling it: "Well, as a trick for peeling a soft persimmon, the best thing is to cut it in half and, with a teaspoon, dig in, scoop out the flesh and eat it. It's the easiest way to eat it."
And he has a second, more country-style way: "I like to cut it into four pieces, if it's not too soft, pop them in my mouth, suck out the flesh and pull off the skin. But, well, that's down to taste."
If the persimmon is very soft, cut it in half and grab a teaspoon. If it's still a bit firm, cut it into four wedges and suck the flesh off the skin. No peelers, no knives wrestling with a fruit that's slipping through your fingers.
The way to eat persimmons that hardly anyone knows
This is the part I liked best, and it's advice you rarely hear: "Honestly, the persimmon I like most, and it's the same one, because the only thing that changes is how firm it is, is when it's, let's say, somewhere in between. Not really firm, but not too soft either."
And here's the reference to get it right at home: "Let's say when it has the texture of a ripe mango. At that point, the persimmon has all its sugar, it's juicy, which it isn't when you eat it firm, like an apple, for example, it doesn't have that juiciness, and it's truly extraordinary."
Salvador's straight recommendation for anyone reading: "I'd tell the people reading us to try it this way, because for me it's honestly the best."
It's easy: leave a couple of firm persimmons out of the fridge and give them a gentle squeeze every day. When they give like a ripe mango, that's the moment. That's when it has all its sugar and all its juiciness, and it's still the same persimmon, just with a different texture.
Frequently asked questions
Can you eat persimmon skin?
Yes. On a firm Rojo Brillante the skin is very thin and you eat it like an apple's. It's a matter of taste.
What about a soft persimmon's skin?
You can, but you notice the little bits of skin and the pulp inside is the best part. When it's soft, our fellow grower doesn't eat it.
Do you have to peel a persimmon?
No need. If it's firm, just bite in. If it's soft, cut it in half and eat it with a teaspoon.
Is the skin thicker at the end of the season?
No. Its structure stays the same throughout the persimmon's life, just like an apple's.
What's the best stage to eat a persimmon?
For our fellow grower, the in-between stage: when it gives like a ripe mango. That's when it has all its sugar and is juicy.
Should you wash it before eating it with the skin?
Yes, like any fruit you eat with the skin on: a rinse under the tap and you're done.
If you want to try both versions, we have the Rojo Brillante Persimmon, firm and crunchy, and the traditional soft persimmon, the classic spoon one. And if you want to know which is which, here are the types of persimmons you can find and why we have in Valencia a persimmon unique in the world.
