Bamboo-skin persimmon specialty, chewy and crispy like jelly, only available once a year in Thai Nguyen

Thai Nguyen not only attracts tourists with many famous specialties such as Tan Cuong tea, Dai Tu sour sausage, Bo Dau banh chung, Dinh Hoa bamboo rice, etc., but also has a gift with a strong autumn flavor, making gourmets have to be patient all year long, spending a lot of money to buy and enjoy. That is bamboo-skinned persimmon.

Bamboo-skin persimmons are grown in many places in Thai Nguyen province, but the most delicious and famous are still in Dong Hy (Photo: Quyen Nguyen)

Unlike Da Lat crispy persimmons or Moc Chau persimmons, which are harvested from August to November every year, the Thai Nguyen bamboo-skin persimmon season is very short, lasting only one month, from around the end of August to the end of September.

Not to mention, the area of original bamboo skin persimmon cultivation in Thai Nguyen is not much, only appearing in some mountainous areas in the area. Therefore, this fruit is also considered a "rare and hard to find" specialty, not everyone has the opportunity to enjoy it.

Bamboo-skinned persimmons have green skin, smooth like bamboo trunks. When ripe, the fruit turns slightly yellow and gradually turns clear like jelly, and tastes strange because of the combination of chewy and crunchy texture (Photo: Linh's Kitchen)

To ensure delicious, sweet-smelling bamboo-skin persimmons, experienced farmers choose to harvest ripe persimmons, not immature ones (Photo: Ngat Tran)

The harvest time is short, only one season per year, and the planting area is limited, so bamboo-skinned persimmons are becoming increasingly rare. Customers who want to buy them sometimes have to order a month in advance.

The reason why bamboo-skinned persimmons are sought after is because they have a different flavor and way of enjoying them compared to other types of persimmons. While pickled persimmons can be eaten when the skin is still green, bamboo-skinned persimmons must wait until the skin turns clear and the flesh is soft before they can be enjoyed.

Or if the egg persimmon or cup persimmon is ripe and red, you just need to peel it to eat, then the bamboo skin persimmon is split in half and scooped up with a spoon. The skin of this type of persimmon is thin but hard, like a miniature bowl for diners to scoop up and eat, slowly feeling the chewy, sweet flesh, mixed with the crunchy and cool taste like jelly.

When ripe, bamboo-skinned persimmons have juicy flesh, the color of soft-boiled eggs, clear, soft to the touch but not mushy. This type of persimmon tastes even better if refrigerated for about an hour before eating (Photo: Aquarium Restaurant)

Because of its deliciousness and “rarity”, during the harvest season, bamboo-skinned persimmons are sold at a fairly high price, ranging from 90,000 - 120,000 VND/kg, each kg has about 5-7 fruits. In particular, bamboo-skinned persimmons harvested from ancient trees, large in size (about 3-4 fruits per kg), with a characteristic sweet taste will be more expensive, about 170,000 VND/kg.

Although more expensive than many other traditional autumn fruits, bamboo-skinned persimmons are still a specialty, a rustic gift that is sought after by gourmets. Not only is it loved for its taste and texture, but this fruit is also suitable for long-distance transportation or packaging as a gift.

For Hanoians , bamboo-skin persimmons are also a fruit often chosen to display on the Mid-Autumn Festival tray (Photo: Thao Trinh)

The bamboo-skinned rose apple has a hard shell, beautiful appearance, and is easy to transport over long distances, so many people often buy it as a gift for relatives, friends, and business partners (Photo: Hue Nguyen Thi, Aquarium Restaurant)

To preserve bamboo-skinned persimmons for a long time, usually when the persimmons are ripe, people will wrap each persimmon in newspaper, put them in the refrigerator, and take them out as they eat. At that time, the persimmons will gradually become clearer, look very pleasing to the eye, and have a cool, sweet, and fragrant taste, appealing to both children and adults.

According to the experience of Thai Nguyen people, the trick to identify ripe bamboo-skinned persimmons that can be eaten is to look at the skin. Unripe persimmons are green and the skin is not clear, so when buying them, diners must place the fruit upside down, with the stem facing down.

Because the bottom of the persimmon always ripens first, it is easier to bruise than the stem, and doing so also helps the persimmon ripen more evenly. In just a few days, the persimmon gradually turns opaque green and then yellow, the skin is clear, meaning the fruit is ripe and can be enjoyed.

Phan Dau

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