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I made a persimmon jam, just like I successfully made other jams, i.e.: took 7 persimmons, added a cup of sugar and a little lemon juice, put in a bread baker and activated the special jam program.

The jam is delicious, but, after several seconds in the mouth, it gives a very unpleasant feeling that the tongue and the entire mouth becomes dry.

What happened to the jam? Is there a way to rescue it?

Erel Segal Halevi
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1 Answers1

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It sounds like the persimmons (or one of the persimmons) were not quite ripe enough.

When you eat an unripe astringent persimmon (American or Asian) the mouth immediately draws up. Sometimes you'll get a hint of sweetness (if it is near-ripe) but the mouth-feel is immediate. Tannins in persimmons make your tongue, cheeks, and gums feel as though you're chewing on a cross between aspirin, alum, and chalk. Your tongue almost feels like a fine sandpaper. Judging the Ripeness of Persimmons

Unfortunately, I think that specific batch of jam can't be salvaged -- I don't know any way to "ripen" a persimmon if it's already been cooked into something. Next time you try this, taste a small bit of each fruit first to see if they're ripe enough.

Erica
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  • Is this dangerous? Or just untasty? – Erel Segal Halevi Feb 18 '15 at 16:18
  • And this is why I hate persimmons. – Charles Koppelman Feb 18 '15 at 16:24
  • @ErelSegalHalevi Wikipedia indicates that a [phytobezoar can form in your stomach if you eat unripe persimmons](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persimmon#Unripened_persimmons), but also states this "should not be of concern when consuming moderate quantities of persimmons" -- so it isn't _risk-free_, but is probably very low risk (although [higher for individuals with certain medical conditions](http://www.persimmonpudding.com/bezoars.html)). I wouldn't worry that you've already eaten some. – Erica Feb 18 '15 at 16:27
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    It sounds like you'd know if you were at risk - you'd be eating a *lot* of persimmons and if they're just mildly unripe, there's not as much tannin. – Cascabel Feb 18 '15 at 17:08