Persimmon cakes

Persimmon cakes

　　　　Persimmons ripen around Frost’s Descent. The fruits are peeled using a persimmon peeling machine, then sun-dried, sweated, fanned, and frosted to soften and caramelize them into persimmon cakes. Depending on how the calyxes are treated, they are categorized into two types: “smooth goods” and “hairy goods.” Those with the outer edges of the calyxes removed are smooth goods, while those left untrimmed are hairy goods. Persimmon cakes come in two varieties: water cakes and ash cakes. Water cakes are flat and round, large in size, soft in texture, high in sugar content, sweet in flavor, mild in nature, with a translucent brownish-red flesh that tends to “return frost” when exposed to heat the following year. Ash cakes are oval-shaped, smaller in size, harder in texture, with a dark brown flesh. They are slightly less sweet than water cakes but have better shelf life, making them suitable for long-distance sale and an excellent ingredient for baked cakes.

　　Persimmon cakes offer a long-lasting sweetness. When served with walnut kernels or peanuts, their sweetness is complemented by a fragrant crunch, creating a unique flavor. Soaking torn pieces of persimmon cake or soft jujube in hot water makes a drink that can relieve hangovers and serve as a tea substitute. Mixing peas with persimmon cakes to make a pea filling, cooling it, cutting it into pieces, and skewering it with bamboo sticks creates a cool, sweet, fragrant, and soft treat.