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During Korea's cold winters, strong winds blow
across the peninsula from the northwest Therefore, it was common to build
houses facing the southeast with mountains behind to block these winds.
Moreover, many house had a couple of persimmon trees in their backyard. Areas
such as Jinyeong, Gyeongsang-do province, that are relatively warm in winter
due to ocean breezes, produce sweet persimmons whereas tart persimmons grow in
the colder mountainous areas and the northern areas of the Korean peninsula. As
a result of their temperature-sensitive nature, persimmons can be delightfully
sweet and colorful or tart. And thanks to the moderate climate of the major
persimmon-producing area, Jinyeong, its persimmons are superior in taste to
those from areas in central Korea, such as Seosan.
Some Western countries produce persimmons, but the bulk of persimmons come from
Asia, especially Korea, China and Japan. In Vietnam, persimmons are grown in mountainous
regions. Persimmon trees can be grown quite easily, are highly resistant to
insects, and require little care. However, it is difficult for persimmon trees
to thrive in the mid-northern areas of the Korean peninsula since they cannot
survive the extreme cold weather in that region any better than they can hot
tropical conditions.
When tart persimmons ripened and fell to the ground from trees in the mountains
of Korea, people used to gather them and cook them in a huge pot
with salt to counteract their tartness. But because there were so many
persimmons, people started to peel string and dry them in the shade. Dried
persimmons thus became popular snacks and delectable treats for guests.
Interestingly enough, they were also used to stop babies from crying, as is
told in the traditional Korean tale, "The Tiger and the Persimmon":
One day, a hungry tiger approached a farming village in search of food. As the
tiger came upon a small house, he heard a mother inside the house screaming to
her crying baby, "Stop! There's a tiger outside." The tiger was
surprised that the mother knew he was there and expected the baby to stop
crying. Surprisingly, the baby continued to cry. Then the mother said:
"Look, here's a dried persimmon." And the baby stopped crying
immediately. The tiger became frightened and ran away because he thought he
came across something that was more powerful than himself.
The leaves of persimmon trees are used for making tea. Persimmon trees
naturally complement traditional Korean houses while the dry of Yeongdong, in
central Korea, has planted them along its streets.
Because persimmons are known to contain tannin, an anti-carcinogen, they have
become a popular fruit in the West At markets in Vancouver, Canada, tons of persimmons from New Zealand can be found, showing that persimmons
are no longer craved by only Asians.
Koreans have a tradition of inviting over friends and relatives for an
elaborate meal Along with sikhye, a fermented rice beverage, a persimmon punch
called sujeonggwa is often served as a dessert. Sujeonggwa combines the rich
flavor of persimmon with two spices. Cinnamon and ginger are simmered in water
to form a flavorful liquid to which dried persimmon is added. To prepare
sujeonggwa, peel and thinly slice 50 grams of ginger, boil well, strain to
remove the ginger, and set the liquid aside. Then boil 30 grams of cinnamon
sticks in six cups of water, strain, and set the liquid aside. After the
boiling process, combine the two liquids and dissolve one and a half cups of
sugar in the liquid and cool. Peel and remove the seeds of 20 persimmons and then
cut into slices Add the persimmons to the liquid and refrigerate for three
hours before serving When the persimmons have softened, add pine nuts and the
punch is ready to serve.
Before yeot (traditional Korean taffy) and sugar were introduced to Korean
cooking, sweet foods were a rarity. For this reason, persimmons and sujeonggwa
were favorites of Koreans and they still are. By the way, gam, the Korean word
for persimmon, means "sweet."
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