A fruit of two halves (+recipes)

My introduction to persimmons was unusual. I was playing tennis next to an orchard. When the ball was lost over the fence, I, being the kind gentleman I am, went for a forage to find it.

For my troubles, I was immediately sconed on the head by a hard cluster of orange fruit. With the tennis ball nowhere to be found, I grabbed a handful of the fruit and took them back to my fellow tennis players as a substitute. They were decidedly unimpressed.

Game deferred, I took my bounty home and did some reading up on how best to cook it.

Persimmons fall into two categories: astringent (mouth-puckering) and non-astringent, which can be eaten hard or soft, raw or cooked.

Soft, brown-spotted persimmons are the ripe ones and, apparently if you sniff the bottoms, the sweet ones will be fragrant.

The stem is left attached at harvest and becomes easier to remove as the fruit ripens. The capsicum-shaped hachiya is an astringent persimmon that should be eaten only once it becomes soft. The softening process can be accelerated by exposing the fruit to a frost, wrapping it in newspaper or placing it in a sealable bag after you've sucked out all the oxygen and exhaled in a little carbon dioxide, then sealed it.

The fuyu is a non-astringent persimmon. Once peeled, it's delicious shaved or cut into wedges as an addition to a fish salad or with grilled prawns.

In Japan, the goma persimmon is the favourite - also known as a chocolate persimmon because of its brown flesh. In Queensland, you can find black persimmons or black sapote, a native of Mexico, which has ripe flesh often used to make delicious icecream. Israel's Sharon Plain persimmon has no core, is seedless and, when ripe, contains a thick pulpy jelly encased in a waxy, thin-skinned shell.

I also recommend hunting down Korean-brand sweet persimmon vinegar. It's exceptional in a syrup folded through Asian-style coleslaw.

My best suggestions for getting the most out of persimmon slices is to try them with lime juice, salt and chilli powder with leftover roast chicken; or make a salad with watercress, seeded grapes, cubed persimmon, apple, feta and honey-roasted peanuts, dressed with yoghurt, persimmon vinegar and raw sugar. Or place the slices in a dehydrator to make a crisp snack.

Dried persimmon is also available from Asian grocery stores, and should be eaten after washing off the white powder that coats the slices - or try steaming them for 15 minutes.

For an attractively presented entree, cut uniform cubes of persimmon and sprinkle with lime zest. Cut cubes of feta the same size and roll through chopped coriander and mint. Place the cubes together to resemble a chessboard, then top with warm smoked fish, a little chilli-flavoured vinaigrette and pomegranate seeds.

And if you devour this in the pool room you'll probably find the cues have been made of persimmon wood.