Me: Is it a different kind of tomato?
Gramma: No, it looks different… I havent seen this kind of tomato before
Me: Hmm.. it is in the fruit section…. Do you have any idea what it could be?
Gramma : [She looked at me perplexed…]
I then turned to the salesman behind the Apples counter and asked him what fruit it was..
Salesguy: Japan Fruit madam.. See that box next to it, it has the chopped fruit as well..
I instantly tweeted asking the kind souls out there if they had seen/tasted this fruit. Within few minutes, one of those souls replied saying “yes, have seen this before, it is also called Persimmon”
From Wikipedia– They are high in glucose, with a balanced protein profile, and possess various medicinal and chemical uses. Like the tomato, it is not considered a “common berry“, but is in fact a “true berry” by definition.
We were tempted to buy one and try, but put it off for another day… I got home and did some snooping around on the net… What i found had me curious..
Health
benefits of persimmon fruit
[Source:http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/persimmon-fruit.html]
- The
fruit is low in
calories (provides 70 cal/100g) and fats but is rich source of
dietary fiber.- Persimmons
contain many
health
benefiting phyto-nutrients flavonoid poly-phenolic anti-oxidants like
catechins
and gallocatechins
as well as important anti-tumor compound
betulinic
acid. Catechins are known to have anti-infective,
anti-inflammatory and anti-hemorrhagic (prevents bleeding from small
blood vessels) properties.- Fresh
permissions contain
anti-oxidant compounds like vitamin-A, beta-carotene, lycopene,
lutein,
zeaxanthin and cryptoxanthin. Together, these compounds functions as
protective
scavengers against oxygen-derived free radicals and reactive oxygen
species (ROS) that plays a role in aging and various disease processes.- zeaxanthin,
an important dietary carotenoid, selectively absorbed into
the retinal macula lutea in the eyes where it is thought to provide
antioxidant and protective light-filtering functions; thus, helps
prevent “Age related macular disease”(ARMD) in the elderly.- The
fruits are also very
good source
of vitamin-C,
another powerful antioxidant (especially native Chinese
and American persimmons; provide 80% of DRI). Regular consumption of
foods rich in vitamin C helps body develop resistance against
infectious agents and scavenge harmful, pro-inflammatory free radicals.- The
fruit is good in many
valuable B-complex vitamins
such as folic acid, pyridoxine (vitamin B-6), thiamin…etc. These
vitamins act as co-factors for numerous metabolic enzymatic functions
in the body.- Fresh
Persimmon fruits
also
contain healthy amounts of minerals like potassium, manganese (15% of
DRI), copper (12% of DRI), and phosphorus. Manganese is a
co-factor for
the enzyme, superoxide
dismutase, which is a very powerful free radical scavenger.
Copper is a co-factor for many vital enzymes, including
cytochrome c-oxidase and superoxide dismutase (other minerals function
as cofactors for this enzyme are manganese and zinc). Copper is also
required for the production of red blood cells.
You bet on my next sighting of this fruit, i am going to grab one!!