Make Imajo’s local specialty, dried persimmons! Unique smoking method found only here in Japan

As autumn deepens, the fruit from the countless persimmon trees that fill the mountain village start to ripen. Persimmons are common fruit that have grown in abundance in the area since a long time ago. There are two main types of persimmons – the sweet amagaki variety, or astringent shibugaki. It is said that only astringent persimmons that grew naturally in nature, and that the sweet variety was a result of a sudden mutation, becoming a variety that is unique to Japan. People back in the day figured out a way to make the astringent persimmon fruits taste good, and came up with dried persimmons, which are a local specialty of Imajo in Minami-Echizen Town. The difference between these dried persimmons made locally and other regular ones are that these are smoked while drying. By doing so, the tannins present in the fruit that make it astringent are removed, and the dried fruits take on a smoky fragrance, giving it a unique taste. These pair excellently with wine and other alcohol. While these are a local specialty of the region, due to a decline in population and a lack of younger successors to take over the work, there are increasingly fewer farmers who are willing to make these dried persimmons. In the midst of this, Mr. Miura, who hails from Aichi Prefecture, set up a company in 2017 with the goal of manufacturing and promoting the making of these dried persimmons. Twenty years after moving to Minami-Echizen, and ten years after starting to make these dried persimmons, he has scaled up his production greatly. In this workshop, you will get to learn how to make these dried persimmons using this rare and unique smoking method from Mr. Miura while hearing about his story. These dried persimmons can fetch a price of up to 300 yen per piece in some years. Come make some of these jewels of the mountains with us!