Every single Hachiya that I've ever tasted I could almost not eat, they were too astringent. I've purchased Hachiya an endless number of times from different markets, each time hoping this time might different, but it never is.
Here's my experience with Hachiyas: They are inedible until they are so ripe they look translucent. At that stage, the skin is paper thin and peels off by hand easily, leaving the gelatinous flesh behind. In order for a Hachiya to ripen to that degree, I begin with fruit that have absolutely no damage to them (holes, bruises, etc). I let them sit on the counter for however long it takes for them to turn translucent and the color to deepen to a very deep orange. If a fruit is damaged, the damaged area will begin molding before the rest of the fruit ripens.
Eating a
ripe Hachiya is kind of like eating jello; I can slurp it. That texture puts some people off. A matter of personal taste. A truly ripe Hachiya is usually intensely sweet -- (also a matter of personal taste -- some would say it's too sweet).
There are also ways of forcing persimmons to ripen. I'm aware of 4 different methods, and using these methods you might
not end up with gelatinous fruit:
- I've been told that you can store the fruit in a plastic bag full of CO2 for a day or so and that will ripen it.
- Another method is exposure to ethanol (drinking alcohol). You can put a couple of tablespoons of cheap vodka in a small dish within a plastic bag. Place the fruit in the same bag (*not* in direct contact with the liquid), seal it up and let it sit. I'm not sure how long that method takes; I tried it once, but didn't really like the results. It was so long ago I can't remember what I didn't like about it.
- Freezing. Pop them in the freezer for a few days. Freezing apparently breaks tannins down.
- And then there's Hoshigaki (dried). Search the Internet for "Hoshigaki" and you'll find instructions on how. I've done this twice and liked the results after drying for about 2 weeks. I didn't like them as much when they were fully dried (which happens at about 3 weeks).
I plan to try the CO2 method next year, when I can get some Hachiyas again.
Ha ha! @nexxogen and @Plantinyum were typing while I was.