Persimmon pudding is a dessert pudding made with

persimmon The persimmon is the edible fruit of a number of species of trees in the genus '' Diospyros''. The most widely cultivated of these is the Oriental persimmon, ''Diospyros kaki'' ''Diospyros'' is in the family Ebenaceae, and a number of non-per ...

s. There is a lot of variety in the recipes, some are made with eggs, others add sweet potatoes or pumpkin. There's no set recipe, although common ingredients include some type of cornmeal or flour, brown sugar or molasses, and spices like cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. Owing to the difficulty of preparing the pulp from wild American persimmons, persimmon pudding is mostly a regional specialty of the

Cuisine of the Midwestern United States Midwestern cuisine is a regional cuisine of the American Midwest. It draws its culinary roots most significantly from the cuisines of Central, Northern and Eastern Europe, and Native North America, and is influenced by regionally and locall ...

. A bain marie can be used to steam the pudding, but it's not necessary and the pudding can be baked at lower temperatures without using one. The recipe traditional to

American cuisine American cuisine consists of the cooking style and traditional dishes prepared in the United States. It has been significantly influenced by Europeans, indigenous Native Americans, Africans, Asians, Pacific Islanders, and many other cultures a ...

is baked or steamed slowly over a long duration, with a little baking soda. The baking soda makes it easier for sugars and proteins to react with each other, altering the color and results in a darker, more flavorful pudding. Replacing the baking soda with baking powder, or shortening the cooking time will result in a lighter orange-colored pudding. The texture of a classic American persimmon pudding is described as chewy, and similar to a dense gingerbread cake. The pudding is often served with

ice cream Ice cream is a sweetened frozen food typically eaten as a snack or dessert. It may be made from milk or cream and is flavoured with a sweetener, either sugar or an alternative, and a spice, such as cocoa or vanilla, or with fruit such as ...

crème anglaise ''Crème anglaise'' (French for "English cream"), custard sauce, pouring custard, or simply custard is a light, sweetened pouring custard used as a dessert cream or sauce. It is a mix of sugar, egg yolks, and hot milk usually flavoured with vanil ...

whipped cream Whipped cream is liquid heavy cream that is whipped by a whisk or mixer until it is light and fluffy and holds its shape, or by the expansion of dissolved gas, forming a firm colloid. It is often sweetened, typically with white sugar, an ...

apple sauce Apple sauce or applesauce is a purée (not necessarily served as a true sauce) made of apples. It can be made with peeled or unpeeled apples and may be spiced or sweetened. Apple sauce is inexpensive and is widely consumed in North America and s ...

, or

hard sauce Hard sauce is a sweet, rich dessert sauce made by creaming or beating butter and sugar with rum (rum butter), brandy (brandy butter), whiskey, sherry (sherry butter), vanilla or other flavourings. It is served cold, often with hot desserts. I ...

, which is sometimes called brandy sauce. It is traditionally served warm, though it can be served cold as well. Persimmon pudding lasts quite a while when refrigerated, and may be made in large batches to be served over the course of several days. As the pudding ages the various individual flavors mellow and blend. Every year at the annual Persimmon Festival in

Mitchell, Indiana Mitchell is a city in Marion Township, Lawrence County, Indiana, United States. The population was 4,350 at the 2010 census. History Mitchell was built as a railroad town in the mid-19th century. At this location in Lawrence County, the Chi ...

persimmon pudding is sold with ice cream. It is one of two iconic local dishes in Indiana, the other being

sugar cream pie Sugar cream pie (also known as sugar pie or Hoosier pie) is a custard pie made with a simple filling of butter, flour, cream and sugar sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. It is considered one of the desperation pies because the custard filling is mad ...

. It was the most searched for

Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in the United States, Canada, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Philippines. It is also observed in the Netherlander town of Leiden ...

recipe in the state in 2014.

References

External links

persimmonpudding.com - dedicated to growing, education, and use of Diospyros virginiana L., the common, or American persimmon

American desserts Cuisine of the Midwestern United States Fruit dishes Puddings Steamed foods Thanksgiving food Pudding {{dessert-stub

See also

References

External links