Persimmon is a familiar fruit to Koreans. They have been eaten since the old times and persimmon trees are easily seen in rural villages. There are many proverbs and stories about persimmons as well. The popularity of Korean persimmons has also increased abroad, thanks to their quality and various processed products. Due to their excellent storability, persimmons can still be enjoyed overseas even after harvest.

#Sweet Persimmon When Eaten Raw
Persimmons are largely divided into sweet persimmon and astringent persimmon. Sweet ones are often eaten raw, and astringent ones are generally consumed as dried. The biggest advantage of Korean sweet persimmons is that they have a high sugar content exceeding 14 brix and a crisp texture. Sweet persimmons are rich in fructose that the more you chew, the sweeter they feel.
The main production areas include Changwon, Jinju, Gyeongsangnam-do and Suncheon, Jeollanam-do. These areas were the first place to grow sweet persimmons in Korea, and given their long history, farmers also have excellent cultivation know-how given. Thanks to this, the popularity of Korean sweet persimmons is increasing in overseas markets, mainly in Southeast Asia. The sugar content can be checked just by looking at the appearance. If the stalk is even and convex, it is sweet. Also, good sweet persimmons have both similar orange colors on the top and bottom of the fruit.
 

#‘Astringent Persimmon’ Enjoyed in Various Ways
Astringent persimmon is harvested and left for a long time, it becomes Hongsi (soft persimmon) with a soft and sweet taste. Since Hongsi is completely ripe with astringency, it is fun to scoop up the ripe red flesh with a spoon to eat. Also, if the skin of the astringent persimmon is peeled and dried, it becomes Gotgam (dried whole persimmon), which is chewy and sweet. Gotgam is mainly exported to Japan. Recently, more diverse products have been released. The major examples are Gammallaengi (dried persimmon), which are a great substitute for jelly, and ice hongsi, which are enjoyable like sherbet. As these food products are considered healthy, their demand is increasing in Korea and abroad as snack substitutes. Furthermore, persimmon smoothies, persimmon juice, and even persimmon wine products have been produced.

#The Best Product Online 'Eomuk'

The season for warm soup has arrived. There is nothing like a warm soup to melt a frozen body in the cold. Eomuk (fishcake) is the perfect choice to enjoy a simple soup dish. Eomuk made from fish meat are easy to cook and have a rich flavor. Recently, Korean Eomuk products have been on the bestseller list on Amazon, recognized for their taste and quality.

#Korea’s Major Snack
Eomuk is easily found on the streets of Korea. You can easily taste Eomuk in tourist spots and subway stations. Thus, it is called the representative snack of Korea. Eomuk is also known as a food that goes well with Tteokbokki, which is recently gaining popularity abroad. The spicy taste of Tteokbokki is neutralized with Eomukguk (fishcake soup). Eomuk is made by mixing the main ingredients of fish meat and wheat flour and seasoning it with salt. As a result, when boiled in a soup, it has a deep taste and comes in various shapes, ranging from the basic square shape to the long rod, and the rolled type to easily put the square Eomuk into a skewer. With growing attention toward health, the range of raw ingredients in Eomuk has expanded, including paprika Eomuk and Eomuk with Maesaengi (seaweed fulvescens). Recently, with the positive evaluation of high-quality Korean Eomuk overseas, Eomuk ranked first in Amazon’s ‘Fresh Prepared Soups, Stew & Chili’ category.

#Easy to Eat
The keywords that describe Korean Eomuk products on Amazon are ‘health’, ‘simple cooking’, and ‘excellent packaging’. It seems that consumers have highly appreciated the convenience, considering that there are many favorable reviews for products that can be eaten just by pouring water. In fact, one buyer rated Eomuk a perfect score out of 5, saying, “It is so easy to cook that my husband eats it every morning.” Another buyer also expressed satisfaction, saying, “You can have a perfect meal by adding a little bit of green onion.” Favorable reviews continued for various reasons such as ‘I eat it when I miss Korean food’ and ‘It goes well with spicy food like Tteokbokki’. Check out the infographic for more details.