Cachi...Persimmon

Do you even know what a persimmon is? I sure didn't before I lived in Italy! I thought they were weird looking tomatoes from somewhere called Cachi…

Anyways, cachi have a light reddish orange color, and have the same texture as a tomato, inside and outside pretty much - soft, juicy, and fleshy. They're sweet. When I first tried one, the first thing I could compare it to was a cross between papaya and a non-sour passion fruit.

They're originally from China, and arrived in Europe thanks to Japanese imports at the end of the 18th century. They are now cultivated widely in Italy. Don't worry, you might be able to find them as well in the United States, especially in California where they are commonly grown. According to my online persimmon source, they are more easily found in "ethnic" supermarkets in the US.[i] Just remember to buy in season and try to support your local farmers. Cachi ripen quickly, so don't buy them too ahead of time. If you're reading this not in the fall or winter, you could probably find persimmon jam and use that as a substitute in the recipe below.

Unfortunately, they're pretty high in sugars, which makes them great for the recipe that follows, but not so good for gorging on. I guess that's why it's a good winter fruit -- the high sugar content must have been good for farmers or hard laborers in the cold, late fall and early winter months. They are a good source of vitamin A.[ii]

Thanks to a suggestion from a friend, I decided to make some cachi cookies for this blog. I found a recipe online, but modified a bit. This week my recipe will also be in Italian because everyone I gave my cookies to last night and this morning begged me for la ricetta :)

Cachi Cookies

Ingredients: (for around 36 cookies)

4 ripe persimmons

2 tsp baking soda

4 cups flour

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ground cloves

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp salt

2 eggs

1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup butter

2 cups chopped hazelnuts

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Cut up and smash your persimmons (or put them through a food processor, I just mashed mine up to get a chucky, jam texture). Mix in the backing soda and set aside.

3. Mix together flour, salt, cinnamon, ground cloves, and set aside.

4. Cream together butter, sugar, and egges. Then add in the persimmon, then the dry ingredients, and then the nuts.

5. Arrange spoonfuls of the batter on cookie sheets and put in oven for 15 minutes.

6. Let them cool a bit on the cookie sheets before moving them to a plate. They are very moist cookies! Enjoy!

 Biscotti di Cachi

Ingredienti: (per fare circa 36 biscotti)

4 cachi maturi

2 cucchiaini di bicardonato

480g farina

1 cucchiaino di cannella

1 cucchiaino di chiodi di garofano

1 cucchiaino di noce moscata

1 cucchiaino di sale

2 uova

200g zucchero bianco

200g zucchero di canna

113g burro

320g nocciole tritate

Istruzioni:

1. Riscaldare il forno a 180º C.

2. Tagliare a fettine e schiacciare i cachi (o metterli in un frullatore, io l’ho solo schiacciati). Mescolare con il bicarbonato e mettere da parte.

3. Mescolare insieme la farina, la cannella, i chiodi di garofano schiacciati ed il sale, e mettere da parte.

4. Sbattere insieme il burro, lo zucchero, e le uova. Poi aggiungere i cachi, e poi gli ingredienti secchi, e poi le nocciole.

5. Disporre cucchiai di pastella su lastre per i biscotti e mettere in forno per 15 minuti.

6. Lasciarli raffreddare un po’ sulle lastre prima di passarli ad un piatto.

Buon appetito!

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[i] http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/persimmon.html

[ii] http://www.cibo360.it/alimentazione/cibi/frutta/cachi.htm