The Wheat Of Zeus

Wendy and I invited friends over for brunch last Sunday. We had a spectacularly good visit as we hadn't seen each other in over 15 years (lots to talk about). We laughed our faces off, as we did 15 years earlier. Some people never change....thankfully!

Our friends, who shall remain nameless to protect their identity, brought us three thoughtful gifts. Today I'm choosing to write about one of them....a persimmon.

Can you believe that I've never eaten a persimmon before? This is amazing especially when you consider that my Dad was directly evolved from chimpanzees, in one generation. My gawd that man can eat fruit, and not just apples and oranges. He'll eat anything that's even loosely considered a fruit, yet I don't ever remember having persimmons in the house. How odd.

This shouldn't come as too much of a shock though. Fredericton is a bit of a backwater when it comes to exotic fruit and vegetables. We just got avocados two years ago, and mangoes are scheduled to arrive in 2016. I remember the near riots of 2012 when Granny Smith apples were introduced at Tingley's. People weren't clamouring to get them as they did for Tickle-Me-Elmos. Au contraire, people were running away from them screaming things like 'a sure sign of the apocalypse' and 'devil come out'. Selling exotic fruit in Fredericton is an exorcise in fruitility.

And along came a Toronto persimmon....

When I was given the persimmon I didn't know what to do with it. It was the most gorgeous of fruit; a rich orange in colour which blended well with our condo colour scheme. I half thought of using the persimmon as an accent to our decor, maybe even building a special shelf on which to display it to future admiring guests. Wendy thought this was a rotten idea. In the end we ate the persimmon and enjoyed it very much.

All this talk of persimmons, Ian, but what do you actually know about persimmons? Where are they grown, for example?

I know nothing about persimmons. This is a job for Wikipedia!

From Wikipedia: Persimmons are the edible fruit of a number of species of trees in the genus Diospyros. The ripe fruit has a high glucose content. The protein content is low, but it has a balanced protein profile. Persimmon fruits have been put to various medicinal and chemical uses.

The word Diospyros comes from the ancient Greek words "dios" and "pyros". In context, this means more or less "divine fruit", though its literal meaning is closer to "Wheat of Zeus". It is, however, sufficiently confusing to have given rise to some curious interpretations, such as "God's pear"

Diospyros kaki is native to China. It is deciduous, with broad, stiff leaves and is known as the shizi, and also as the Japanese Persimmon or kaki in Japanese. It is the most widely cultivated species. Its fruits are sweet, and slightly tangy with a soft to occasionally fibrous texture. Cultivation of the fruit extended first to other parts of east Asia, India and Pakistan, and was later introduced to California and southern Europe in the 1800s, to Brazil in the 1890s. It is edible in its crisp firm state, but has its best flavor when allowed to rest and soften slightly after harvest.

• In Ozark folklore, the severity of the upcoming winter is said to be predictable by slicing a persimmon seed and observing the cutlery-shaped formation within it.
• In Korean folklore the dried persimmon has a reputation for scaring away tigers.
• In Vietnam, the fruit is a part of Mid-Autumn Festival offering.
• In traditional Chinese medicine the fruit is thought to regulate ch'i.
• In philosophy, the painting of persimmons by Mu Qi (13th Century) exemplifies the progression from youth to age as a symbol of the progression from bitterness to sweetness. The persimmon when young is bitter and inedible, but as it ages it becomes sweet and agreeable to humankind. Thus, as we age, we overcome rigidity and prejudice to attain compassion and sweetness.

There...I think you now know enough to go buy one for yourself or to give one as a gift.