I had my first persimmon this week. It reminded me of several things–of kumara (sweet potatoes), lichies, and papayas. But if I were blind folded, and asked to guess what I was eating, I would have sworn that it was the Nongu, the fruit of the Palmyra tree. (In fact, as I dug into my persimmon for my second mouthful, I was transported back to childhood and summer nights in Bangalore when hawkers came selling the Nongu fruit calling out “kaatinongu.”)
The fruit is very filling and rich in vitamin C.
I am told that persimmons are astringent and become edible only when they are really soft and ripe. The one I had was mushy ripe.
