It’s harvest time in Korea, and autumn (October to early December) is the only season persimmons are plentiful. If you live in Korea, you will see them being sold everywhere—from outdoor markets, grocery stores, to subway stations. For about 1,000 won, you can buy four to five persimmons. An affordable and healthy treat, persimmons are rich in potassium, magnesium, and vitamin A.
A persimmon 감, or the transliteration “gam”, is a Buddhist symbol of transformation. Before the persimmon is ripe, it’s green and very bitter. But, it changes its color to a vibrant orange and is very sweet when ripe. This “bitter to sweet” symbolic fruit is mostly eaten when ripe.
There are two types of persimmons found in Korea. One type is a hachiya persimmon 떫은감, or the transliteration “tteolbeun gam”; this translates to “sour persimmon”. A 떫은감 has a deep orange flesh, is acorn shaped, soft, and is often mistaken for a tomato at first glance. Once ripe, it’s soft and sweet with a lot of pulp. Eating one can get a bit messy! You can bite right into one, mash a few up, or make jam.
Another type is a fuyu persimmon 단감, or the transliteration “dan gam”; this translates to “sweet persimmon”. A 단감 has a light colored orange flesh, is round with a flat bottom, and has a crunchy pumpkin-like flavor. You can eat them when they are almost ripe, with or without its skin. The fuyu persimmon is my favorite variety because it’s eaten like an apple and isn’t as messy and sticky as the hachiya.
Fuyu persimmons were in full bloom this autumn on Dobong Mountain, a popular hiking destination near Seoul.
Even if you don’t care for persimmons, their rich colors definitely “spice up” Korea’s landscape in a beautiful way! Persimmon trees 감 나무, or the transliteration “gam namu” are found throughout Korea, particularly in mountainous regions.
Many Koreans eat ripe and dried persimmons. Year round, Korean markets and grocery stores carry dried persimmons 곶감, or the transliteration “got gam”. The word 곶 translates roughly into the English definition, “to skewer”. The traditional way to dry persimmons is on skewers; think: shish kebob persimmons! 곶감 are very sweet! You can also use dried persimmons to make a popular dessert punch called 수정과, or the transliteration “sujeong-gwa”. 수정과 has a spicy ginger, cinnamon flavor; it’s revered as an acid-reflux and nausea reducer. Emily Kim of www.maangchi.com has a very easy to follow YouTube video and step-by-step instructions on how to make this traditional Korean tea: http://bit.ly/TLS8a.
Enjoy the last days of autumn! I am drinking a hot cup of 수정과!
Below are keywords and a correlating sentence. For simplicity, the progression from one word, to two words, to a simple sentence is listed below.
One word—
Persimmon: 감 ,”gam”
Two words—
Persimmon tree: 감 나무 , “gam namu”
A simple sentence—
“A persimmon tree is beautiful.”, “감나무 가 아름답다”, “Gam namu ga aleumdabda.”
References: Photos provided by Kelly West Mars Photography.
My favorite traditional Korean drink is sujongkwa (수정과). Sujongkwa (수정과) is made out of dried persimmons, cinnamon and ginger. The persimmons give the sujongkwa (수정과) a sweet taste, while the cinnamon and ginger give the sujongkwa (수정과) a mild spicy taste. It’s hard to explain, but it tastes sweet and spicy at the same time. It’s really delicious when it’s served cold. I add some pine nuts for taste but it’s not absolutely necessary. Sujongkwa (수정과) is also dark red in color. Somehow that reminds of the autumn season.
In some rural areas of Korea nothing is wasted. Even the leaves of the persimmons are used. The leaves are dried then boiled in some hot water to make kam-ip-cha (감입차) or persimmon tea. Sometimes the persimmons are fermented and made into a vinegar mixture called kam-shik-cho (감식초). Interestingly enough the kam-shik-cho (감식초) is thought to have some healing and restorative effects on the body. As a result some people prefer to use kam-shik-cho (감식초) over regular vinegar.
I also like to consume persimmons in solid form. For example there is a popular snack called kot-kam (곷감). Kot-kam (곷감) is persimmon that has been dried in the outdoors for two weeks. After it’s dried it’s heated even further to let the moisture out. Sometimes sugar is added to perserve the sweetness that has been lost when it evaporates in the heat.