Korogaki

Astringent persimmons, peeled, are hung under the eaves and turned again and again so sunlight reaches the whole fruit as it dries. The defining trait is said to be drying it until the sugars crystallize into a white bloom on the surface, giving a chewy sweetness and the concentrated flavor unique to dried persimmon, people say. Strings of orange fruit are said to mark the turn of autumn in these villages.

Ripe, reddened persimmons are picked with a T-shaped stem left intact, the calyx removed, and peeled except for a strip of skin at the tip. They're tied with string and hung to dry in the sun under the eaves, people say. Once the surface takes on its white bloom, it's often chopped into New Year's persimmon namasu or fried as tempura once it's hardened, it's said.

In a region known for growing large Koshu-hyakume persimmons, drying them into a long-keeping preserve is said to have taken root as a way to use the fruit without waste. Drying it down to 25-30% moisture is said to produce a firmer, longer-lasting persimmon than the softer, moister style found elsewhere. The care taken to keep turning the fruit as it dries seems to be exactly what allows the sugars to crystallize slowly and fully.