Longchuan Persimmon Cake

Longchuan Persimmon Cake

　　Longchuan Persimmon Cake is a popular gift item from Longchuan County, Heyuan City, Guangdong Province. It is exported to Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Macau, Southeast Asia, Europe, the United States, Japan, and other regions. During World War I, it was a bestseller on European battlefields, used as field rations. There are two types of Longchuan Persimmon Cake: Niuxin Persimmon (ox-heart persimmon) and Huo Persimmon (fire persimmon). The Niuxin variety has small seeds but low yield, while the Huo variety has larger seeds and higher yield. Longchuan Persimmon Cake is translucent, sweet and refreshing, rich in nutrition, and offers medicinal benefits such as moistening the lungs, enriching blood, strengthening the stomach, and relieving coughs.

　　Persimmons are woody plants that generally start bearing fruit

　　3–5

　　years after planting. Persimmon cakes are made from green persimmons through peeling, dehydration, debittering, and traditional sun-drying combined with modern mechanical drying methods. These fresh persimmon cakes and dried persimmons not only retain the original nutritional value of persimmons but also have enhanced flavor. When stored frozen, they can last up to one year. Rich in fructose, glucose, natural organic acids, manganese, calcium, vitamins, and other natural nutrients, persimmon cakes and dried persimmons are excellent choices for health-conscious foods.

　　Persimmons typically ripen around Frost’s Descent in September. To make persimmon cakes, ripe persimmons are picked, peeled, sun-dried, and processed into cakes. They are then packed in bamboo baskets lined with straw, with some enzyme agents added before sealing the baskets with straw. After about half a month, a white powdery layer forms on each cake, commonly known as “persimmon frost.” The persimmon flesh becomes crisp and sweet. Alternatively, freshly picked persimmons soaked in saltwater or limewater for about a week can be eaten and are referred to as “salted persimmons” or “limed persimmons.”

　　Uses of Persimmon Cake:

　　1. Longchuan Persimmon Cake has long been a favored gift item, exported to Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Macau, Southeast Asia, Europe, the United States, Japan, and other areas. During World War I, it was widely sold on European battlefields as rations. There are two types: Niuxin Persimmon (with small seeds and lower yield) and Huo Persimmon (with larger seeds and higher yield). The cake is translucent, sweet and refreshing, nutritionally rich, and offers medicinal properties such as lung-moistening, blood-enriching, stomach-strengthening, and cough-relieving.

　　2. Persimmon cakes are as soft and sweet as candy. These round-shaped cakes feature red, seedless, translucent flesh. Once frosted, they display an appealing white-and-red hue, with a crispy yet tender skin and sweet fragrance. According to tests by Guangxi University, persimmon cakes contain 54% reducing sugars and are rich in various vitamins, as well as calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and iron, making them highly beneficial for health and wellness.

　　54%, rich in various vitamins as well as calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and iron, offering notable medicinal and health benefits.