Hoshigaki Season

hoshigakisuccess

Astringent persimmons (such as Hachiya) are in season now which means that it’s time to make hoshigaki, a Japanese delicacy made by hanging peeled persimmons up in a window to dry.

Hoshigaki are chewy and subtly sweet. The texture of hoshigaki is different than what you would get if you just put persimmons in a dehydrator. And if all goes right the sugar comes to the surface making it look like the fruit has been dipped in powdered sugar. If you can find them in a Japanese market they are extremely expensive. And the ones I saw at our local market were vastly inferior to my homemade hoshigaki.

I added some details to the instructions I posted last year. Don’t hesitate to leave a comment if you have any questions about making hoshigaki.

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9 Comments

  1. Will this work the same with future persimmons? I hope so as I just planted one. I’m wondering what to do with the abundance a couple years from now

    • No, this technique is only for hachiyas–I think the fuyus would just rot. It has to do with the tannins, I believe.

  2. Persimmons are very expensive here (in Minnesota) but I picked up 3 nice ones a couple months ago and made them into lovely hoshigaki based on your older posts about them. I haven’t tried eating any yet, but they look picture-perfect and I’ll probably serve them with some nice matcha soon. If they taste as good as they look, I’ll “invest” in more persimmons while they’re in season and make another batch.

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