Unusual Fruit – The Sharon Fruit
The Sharon fruit is my current favourite unusual fruit. It is a variety of the persimmon, and you will hear both names used. The Sharon fruit is native to Israel, grown on the Sharon plains, but other varieties of persimmon come from Japan and the US.
They are a bright orange fruit with a dark leaf on top. The size varies between that of a large plum to that of a medium apple.
If you have a sweet tooth they are great because they have really sweet flesh. They almost taste like they have regular sugar in them. If you want a substitute for a bar of chocolate you will find the Sharon fruit a lot more satisfying than an apple.
You can also eat the whole fruit as there are no seeds on the middle. You just get left with the leafy bit on top. The inside texture is slightly odd, its not quite smooth, its has ridges – sort of like the way that meat has a grain.
The downside to Sharon fruit is the price. My supermarket are selling 3 small ones for £1 or a large one for £1. You could probably buy an equivalent sized apple for 25p.
If you want to eat the fruit immediately, buy one that gives very slightly when you press it, to make sure its ripe.
I never get as far as cooking with Sharon fruit because they are so nice I eat them before I get a chance.
So if you fancy trying out a new fruit to get that 5 a day, and you’ve got a sweet tooth, why not give the Sharon fruit a go?
