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Kaki
Temperatures are getting cooler, the days shorter, and the first Christmas carols can be heard on the radio. No matter where you go, you are greeted by the scent of fresh mandarins, clementines and oranges. It’s an aroma that usually reminds us of the run-up to Christmas and the approaching winter season.
But as well as the citrus fruits we all know and love, there’s another orange vitamin bomb on the block: the kaki. You can find everything you need to know about the orange tomato, as it’s often called, in this article.
Origin
The kaki tree belongs to the ebony family and originally comes from China. It has been planted there for more than 2,000 years, making it one of the oldest cultivated plants in the world. Kaki is also known as the “Chinese date plum”. Today, kaki trees are cultivated far beyond East Asia and can now be found in Brazil, Israel, California and Italy. The trees can grow up to ten metres tall and are quite adaptable, which is why you can now find more and more kaki trees in Switzerland, mainly in Ticino. Kakis are in season from October to March.
Kaki, persimmon or Sharon fruit?
The name kaki generally refers to all varieties, but is given in particular to the “Tipo” variety. The flesh is particularly sweet and, due to its leathery hard skin, particularly delicious when you scoop it out like a kiwi. However, it’s worth pointing out that kakis only taste nice when fully ripe. If the fruit is not yet ripe, they have a very bitter flavour. If kakis are still hard and not ripe enough, it is best to store them next to apples. The ethylene released by apples accelerates the ripening process. Kakis usually keep for two to three weeks in the fridge.
Now let’s talk about the Sharon variety. Sharon fruit evolved from the original kaki variety and is named after the Sharon Plain in Israel where it is grown. In contrast to the Tipo variety, its skin is somewhat thinner and can therefore be eaten as well. It looks slightly smaller and flatter and resembles an orangey yellow tomato.
Lastly, we have the persimmon variety. Persimmons are delicious even when hard and can therefore be eaten before they are fully ripe. As with Sharon fruit, the skin is thin enough to be eaten too. They have a rather elongated oval shape and tend to be more of a yellow colour.
The benefits of kaki
The kaki’s generic name is “Diospyros”, meaning “fruit of the gods”, and no wonder with its high vitamin content! Kaki is known for its exceptionally high provitamin A content. The orange power fruit also boasts other important vitamins and minerals like vitamin C, phosphorus, magnesium and calcium. You can find the exact nutritional values of kakis in the Swiss food composition database.
Our recipe suggestion: Pizza bianca with kaki and goat’s cheese
What you need:
- 50 g walnuts
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 chilli pepper
- 1 kaki persimmon
- 50 g leek
- 600 g pizza dough
- 200 g crème fraîche
- 100 g fresh goat’s cheese
- Flour for rolling
- Salt
- Pepper
Method:
Roughly chop the walnuts. Caramelise the nuts and sugar in a non-stick pan, stirring until the sugar has completely dissolved. Leave the mixture to cool on a plate. Then prepare the chilli peppers: Halve and de-seed them, then cut into fine strips. Halve the kaki persimmon lengthways and cut into thin slices. Cut the leek into rings.
Pre-heat the oven to 220°C fan. Cut the pizza dough into four pieces. Use the flour to roll out the pizza dough into ovals. Place the four rolled-out pieces on baking trays lined with baking paper. Season the crème fraîche with salt and pepper. Spread a thin layer of crème fraîche over the dough. Try to leave a gap around the edge. Top the pizzas with the chilli pepper, leek and kaki. Sprinkle the cheese and caramelised nuts on top. Bake in the oven for around 20 minutes. Enjoy!
(Source)
References:
Fooby (n.d.): Kaki. Available at: https://fooby.ch/de/kochschule/foodlexikon/kaki.html?startAuto1=4
Migusto (n.d.): Kaki. Migusto Migros. Available at: https://migusto.migros.ch/de/tipps-und-tricks/glossar/kaki.html
Vogt, C. (2022): Was in der Kaki steckt und wie man sie isst. iMpuls. Available at: https://impuls.migros.ch/de/ernaehrung/nahrungsmittel/fruechte/kaki#herkunft-und-saison-der-kaki-a97
