It’s too bad Americans aren’t more familiar with persimmons, since its botanical name means “food of the gods.”1 Highly adaptable to various climate conditions,2 those found in larger grocery stores are most likely Japanese persimmons. Persimmon is Japan’s national fruit,3 although it’s said to be native to China4 (American persimmons are mostly ornamental). Persimmon seeds…

In Japan, to be alive in autumn is to live on persimmons. The sweet ones, crisp or soft, are everywhere. You’d know an astringent variety at first taste—you would spit it out immediately and run to rinse your mouth. Or, if you were among those fruit magicians privy to the art of making hoshigaki, or…