FOOD JOURNEY
PERSIMMONS the persimmons are simply laid out on the arbor for three days until they become suff iciently dry, then on the fourth day they are pinched so that the center (which has not become dry yet), gets pushed towards the outer surface, where it can be better exposed to the drying sun. This process is repeated, and af ter about 12 days in the sun and three pinches, the persimmons are ready to be packaged. Most producers of persimmon cakes in Xinpu also move the persimmons into oven dryers during the night, which usually cuts the drying time by half.
Each
year Xinpu holds a persimmon-cake festival in the second week of October. This celebration of all things persimmon attracts gourmands f rom all over the island; visitors can taste all kinds of persimmon-related food, f rom persimmon mochi to persimmon ice lollies – which the casual visitor can also buy at the local farmers’ association building. The 15 local farms which cooperate with the farmers’ association in staging the festival also hold dyeing workshops during which boiled persimmon peel is used to color bags and cloth. Visitors are also invited to help out with some stages of persimmon-cake production.
The fruit is pinched to facilitate the drying process
When we visit another local farmer, Liu Li-jian of Wei Wei Jia Persimmon Cake Tourist Farm, he aff irms our suspicions that with so many varieties and uses, the persimmon is best exploited by the adventurous, even in the face of tradition.
Drying persimmon at Jinhan Farm
Originally, Pen persimmons were not dried, Liu’s wife Zeng Gui-mei tells us, but eaten f resh. Belonging to the nonastringent group of persimmons, they are naturally sweeter, and can be enjoyed when red and ripe “It’s only in the last three years or so that we discovered that you can make persimmon cakes f rom this kind of persimmon as well. The Pen persimmon is more gelatinous, and when you cut it open its insides look oily and shiny,” she says. When dried they are incredibly sweet and juicy, but they generally take longer to dry than other varieties. Finally, Liu takes us over to his arbor, where the third variety of persimmon is being exposed to the af ternoon sun. “This type of persimmon is the reason we make persimmon cakes in Xinpu,” he says, reaching up and removing a small f ruit about the size of a Mandarin orange. “It’s called the ‘Stone’ persimmon, and is perfect for drying due to its low water content and high sugar levels. With Xinpu’s autumn winds, all you need to do is put it out in the sun and it will become delicious.”
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Zeng describes the Stone persimmon as tender, f ragrant, and chew y. “Until recently, people in the city preferred to buy the Bull Heart persimmon, because they thought bigger is more beautif ul. But over the last few years the local Stone persimmon has made a comeback because of its better quality,” she says.
Liu says that he is constantly discovering new ways to treat different varieties. He has experimented with drying non-astringent persimmons, comparing their f lavors with the commonly used astringent type, with soaking various persimmons instead of drying, and with organic cultivation. As a result he is able to apply the most suitable technique to whatever variety comes his way.
“To make high-qualit y persimmon cakes you need Hsinchu’s Stone persimmon, the area’s dr y autumn winds, and the Hakka people”
It’s rare to f ind such an experimental attitude in an area where traditions run so deeply. In Xinpu, however, where persimmons are concerned, the spirit of discovery is today enjoying its place in the sun.
Farmer
Liu is also keen to tell us about the Hakka people’s relationship with drying persimmons. “To make high-quality persimmon cakes you need three things. The f irst is Hsinchu’s Stone persimmon, the second is the area’s dry autumn winds, and the third is the Hakka people.” He explains that the Hakka have the habit of preserving food by drying because they have what Liu jokingly calls “ref ugee genes.” “Anything that is not consumed f reshly, we dry,” he says. “For example, beans and turnips – and persimmons are no exception.”
Eager to try our hands at making some of these traditional cakes ourselves, we ask Liu if he can talk us through the process. It turns out that due to Xinpu’s naturally dry climate (the winds bring the humidity down to around 30 percent), drying persimmons is a fairly straightforward task. Af ter picking, washing, and peeling,
GETTING TO XINPU:
(Self-drive ) From Taipei, take National Freeway No. 1 south. Exit at Yangmei Interchange ( 楊梅交流道 ), take Prov. Hwy 1 to the town of Yangmei, and transfer onto County Road No. 115 to Xinpu. In Xinpu, follow Zhongzheng Rd., Minsheng St., and Hankeng Rd. to the farms. (By train/bus ) Take a train to Hsinchu Railway Station and take a bus from Hsinchu's main bus station to Xinpu. From Xinpu, take a taxi to the farms. During the annual persimmon festival, a shuttle-bus service takes visitors to farms in the area. JINHAN DRIED PERSIMMON EDUCATION FARM (金漢柿餅教育園區 )
Add: 501 , Sec. 1 , Hankeng Rd., Xinpu Township, Hsinchu County ( 新竹縣新埔鎮旱坑路 1 段 501 號 ) Tel: ( 03 ) 589 - 2680 WEI WEI JIA PERSIMMON CAKE TOURIST FARM ( 味衛佳柿餅觀光農場 )
Add: 53 , Alley 283 , Sec. 1 , Hankeng Road, Xinpu Township, Hsinchu County ( 新竹縣新埔鎮旱坑路 1 段 283 巷 53 號 ) Tel: ( 03 ) 589 - 2352
Visitors are free to visit the farms when open, and photo opportunities are abundant. For DIY workshops, book at least a week in advance. ENGLISH & CHINESE
Photos/ Maggie Song
He leads us over to another crate. “This variety is called the ‘Pen’ persimmon.” The f ruit in his hand is long and shaped like a stubby carrot. “This kind of persimmon is more suitable for growing in colder climates, like Japan or Korea, but it’s now adapted to the hot plains of Taiwan as well.” The variety now grown in Taiwan has in fact been nicknamed the ‘Honey’ persimmon, because of its sweetness.
Farmer Liu Li-jian
Fresh fruit and persimmon cakes
Bull Heart persimmon Liu Li-jian Liu Xing-wu Pen/Honey persimmon Persimmon cake / shi bing Stone persimmon Xinpu Yangmei Zeng Gui-mei
牛心柿 劉理鑑 劉興武 筆 / 蜜柿 柿餅 石柿 新埔 楊梅 曾桂美
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Travel in Taiwan