Some people use tea, others use medicine, to sober up. In fact, there is a fruit with a very good sobering-up effect: the persimmon. Some old, established restaurants will thoughtfully serve a plate of persimmon desserts after guests have had a few rounds of drinks, precisely for this reason. Persimmons contain tannins and enzymes, and their vitamin C content is 3 to 4 times higher than that of citrus fruits. These substances are all "good helpers" for sobering up.
Director Lü Li, head of the Nutrition Department at the General Hospital of the Chinese People's Armed Police Force, says that persimmons can speed up the oxidation of ethanol in the blood. The tannins and enzymes can break down alcohol, while its high sugar and potassium content, as well as its large amount of water, can have a diuretic effect, helping the body to expel alcohol. Its rich vitamin C can also enhance liver function, acting as a liver protector. Organic acids and tannic acid can promote digestion and accelerate alcohol breakdown. Therefore, it is no exaggeration to call persimmon the best "hangover cure." If you can eat two persimmons after being drunk, it can also relieve a headache the next day.
Persimmons are delicious and beneficial, but they are not suitable for everyone. Director Lü reminds that persimmons are "cold" in nature. For people with a cold stomach or gastritis, eating too many persimmons will not only worsen their condition but also increase the risk of developing stomach stones. Especially at a meal with seafood, you should never use persimmons to sober up, as they can react with seafood and cause food poisoning.
For those who like persimmons, Director Lü recommends two delicious dishes made with them. You can consider drinking persimmon and black bean soup; boiling persimmons and black beans together for 20 minutes makes for a tasty dish that also has the effect of clearing heat and relieving coughs. Chop some pineapple and persimmons, mix with walnuts, raisins, and red dates, and add sugar or honey to make stuffed persimmons. This is definitely a delicious little dish for the dinner table. In addition to sobering up, it also has multiple benefits such as moistening the lungs and relieving coughs, replenishing qi, nourishing blood, and promoting the production of body fluids.
How to ripen delicious persimmons
Some persimmons are sweet and delicious, while others are bitter and hard to swallow. Besides luck when buying them, it also depends on your own secondary processing. Gourminds of the past once summarized the secret to "ripening persimmons"—that is, turning hard, astringent persimmons into sweet, delicious ones.
Method 1: Soak them in water at 50°C to 60°C, changing the water 2 to 3 times a day. They should be ready to eat in about 2 days. This is the most ancient method, guaranteed to turn hard into soft and astringent into sweet.
Method 2: Place some bananas and apples together with the persimmons in a sealed cardboard box. This method is relatively fast and simple.
Method 3: Wipe a little liquor on the persimmon skin and then store them. This method is the simplest, but the effect is not always significant.