Chocolate persimmons are small to medium-sized fruits that widely vary in appearance, depending on the specific variety, and can appear oval, spherical, to slightly flattened in shape. The skin is glossy, smooth, taut, and chewy, bearing dark orange, almost red hues, and is capped with a green, papery calyx. Underneath the surface, the flesh ranges from firm and crisp, to soft and tender, depending on the degree of ripeness, and has an aqueous, subtly grainy, jam-like consistency. If it is a pollinated fruit, dark brown speckling and spots will develop throughout the seeded, orange flesh, giving it a variegated appearance. Chocolate persimmons have a very sweet and sugary flavor with subtle spice-filled undertones. The fruits are named chocolate for their brown, variegated flesh, not for their taste. Learn more: Growing Persimmon trees.
