I think the first time I came across persimmons was somewhere in southern China. My mom loves these fruits and for the longest time I got them confused with tomatoes. You see, in Chinese we call them a term that also happens to be the casual way we refer to tomatoes – my mom happens to be obsessed with both, so whenever she referred to them I thought she just meant tomatoes. Little did I know about this fascinating fruit until years later. I enjoy them at various stages of ripeness, from the crisp and slightly drying flesh to the super sweet and mushy flesh. They’re a wonderfully tasty food with a hint of spice or something I can’t quite place. Totally fascinating and yummy, which makes them great.