page_title: Diospyros kaki
section_title: Cultivation
hierarchical_section_title: Diospyros kaki / Cultivation
caption_attribution_description: In my kitchen.　variety: "Koushu-Hyakume" The astringent persimmon which is a variety for making it a dried persimmon.{a photo is a 430gram(15oz) large-size} Date: Nov. 09, 2005(JST) Vineyard　　w:ja:user:OAS
context_page_description: Diospyros kaki, also called the persimmon, Oriental persimmon or kaki, is the most widely cultivated species of the genus Diospyros. Although its first botanical description was not published until 1780, the kaki is among the oldest cultivated plants, having been in use in China for more than 2000 years. In some rural Chinese communities, the kaki fruit is seen as having a great mystical power that can be harnessed to cure headaches, back pains and foot ache.
  "Sharon Fruit" is a trade name for non-astringent D. kaki fruit.
context_section_description: Kaki are grown worldwide, with 90 percent of the total in China, Japan and Korea. In East Asia the main harvest time for kaki is in the months of October and November. The trees lose their leaves by harvest time. Occasionally, the brightly colored fruit is left unharvested on the tree as a decorative effect.
  In China, kaki has been cultivated since time immemorial. It is considered to have four virtues: 
  It lives long.
  It gives a large area of shade.
  It is used by the birds as a nesting place.
  It is not attacked by pests.
  Cultivation of this species at first spread through East Asia. Since the 19th century, kaki partially replaced date-plum (Diospyros lotus, also known as Caucasian persimmon) in some countries in South Europe and West Asia, because kaki have bigger fruits than date-plum; cultivation in California began at that time.
  The "Sharon" is a trade name for the "Triumph" variety grown in the fertile Plain of Sharon in Israel. It is a PCA variety which is always treated with CO2 gas to remove astringency before it is marketed. This kaki has a rather squarish shape and it has one of the highest sugar contents of all varieties. It also has a very firm skin unlike most other varieties. because of this it has good keeping qualities and it doesn't suffer to much during handling.
  In Spain, the most important kaki variety is "Rojo Brillante". This PCA variety is mostly grown in the Valencia region in a protected region of origin (DOP) called the "Ribera del Xuquer". During the last decade a CO2 treatment procedure has been perfectioned by which nearly all Rojo Brillante kakis are treated to remove astringency while still retaining their firmness and keeping qualities. This treated kaki fruit is marketed as Spanish Persimon (with one 'm'). Because of this treatment, the "Rojo brillante" kaki has turned into an easily edible fruit which has become highly appreciated in the whole of  Europe and beyond. Because of this commercial success the production of "Rojo brillante in the last decade has hugely augmented.
  In Italy the most widely grown variety is "Tipo" (PCA) and some other varieties in smaller quantities. Italy used to be the largest kaki exporting country in Europe but export has diminished significantly due to the success of the Spanish kaki export. This drop in export is entirely due to the fact that until now Italian kakis are not CO2 treated and thus can only be eaten after they have turned soft. Italy has recently developed a CO2 treatment procedure that can be used on the Tipo variety but it is not commonly used yet. This might help in regaining part of the export in the future. 
  Kaki is also produced in Albania, mainly in the Elbasan region. Since 1935–40, it is also grown in small quantities in Bulgaria, particularly in the Upper Thracian Plain and on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast.
  In astringent cultivars (cultivated varieties), the fruit has a high proanthocyanidin-type tannin content which makes the immature fruit astringent and bitter. The tannin levels are reduced as the fruit matures. The fruit of those cultivars is not edible in its crisp, firm state; they're edible when soft ripe. The ripe fruit has a soft jelly-like consistency. The Japanese 'Hachiya' is a widely grown astringent cultivar. Other cultivars, such as 'Fuyu', do not contain tannins when firm. Those can be eaten like an apple or can be allowed to go to any stage of ripeness, including to the jelly-like stage. These non-astringent varieties are, however, considered to have a less complex flavor.
caption: Variety "Koushu-Hyakume" (astringent - for making dried kaki)
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