Da Lat’s enticing persimmon season

At the beginning of the season, the fruit’s bright orange color adorns the hillsides, standing out against the backdrop of the trees’ green leaves and creating a unique picture.

Persimmons are in their best-ripe states at the beginning of October

From November to December, towards the end of the season and after the leaves fall, the heavy orange-red persimmons on the trees are revealed like brilliant fire spots on the hillsides of Da Lat.

Different varieties of the sweet, fragrant fruit are grown in Da Lat, including soft, egg-shaped and crispy persimmons, among other varieties. Crispy persimmons are one of Da Lat’s best sellers. Major persimmon gardens are found in areas around the city’s Tuyen Lam Lake, Prenn Pass, D’ran Township, Khe Sanh, Don Duong and Cau Dat.

Dried persimmon production requires energy through various stages

Persimmons are in their best ripe states when they turn tomato red at the beginning of October, and can be picked and eaten immediately. Those that are still yellow and orange will need more time and processing to be edible.

Da Lat’s renowned dried persimmon production requires fruit of a certain maturity, size and tenderness, and absence of insect bites and bruises.

The fruit should have a short stalk on which to tie a string during the drying process. Locals prefer oval-shaped or square-shaped persimmons from the city’s Don Duong area for this purpose.

The fruits are peeled, cleaned and hung up separately so that they do not scratch each other. They are then dried in an oven for three hours at 50-60 degrees Celsius, after which they are hung in a windy, cool area with sunlight, away from rain and fog, insects and birds.

After 5-10 days, the persimmons turn a dark orange and light brown color. Producers “massage” them to prevent them from being hard outside or too soft in the middle.

Dried persimmon is a specialty of Da Lat

After some three weeks, at 25-30 degrees Celsius in sunny, dry weather, the persimmons can be harvested. On average, some 7-8kg of fresh fruit are condensed into 1kg of dried fruit. Hence, the price is fairly high compared to fresh fruit, some VND400,000-500,000 (US$17.2-21.5) for a kilo of dried persimmons. Producers ensure there is no mold or fungus on the fruit during the hanging period and no preservatives are added.

According to food and health experts, persimmons contain a high amount of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and can supply 80 percent of the body’s daily vitamin C requirement. It also supplies 20 percent of the daily need for fiber, which is useful for digesting food. Persimmons contain other vitamins, including vitamin A, beta-carotene, lutein, lycopene and cryptoxanthin, all of which prevent fatigue and weakness in eyesight and muscles.