Yuzu is a special and rare citrus fruit that many people like. This small, yellow fruit has a different, mixed flavor that is sour, sweet, and salty. It is often used in Japanese food, especially in soups, sauces, and marinades, but it can also be used in many other dishes. In this article, we will learn about the history, growing, and cooking of yuzu fruit, as well as how it can be good for your health.
What is Yuzu Fruit?
Yuzu is a citrus fruit that comes from East Asia. It is mostly grown in Japan, China, and Korea. The fruit is small and round, with a thin yellow skin. The sour, sharp, and smelly citrus fruit is used a lot as a part of Japanese dishes.
It looks like an orange (with the color of lemon), but you can’t eat the whole fruit like that. If you try to taste its inside, the sourness will hurt your tongue. Because it is sour and smells nice, cooks use yuzu to make their dishes better.
Today, we’re going to learn about East Asian fruit.
History and Growing of Yuzu
Yuzu started in China and has been grown in Japan for over 1,000 years. It was used mostly for making people feel better, but over time it became a popular part of cooking. The fruit is now grown in many countries, including Japan, South Korea, and China, and also in some places in California and Europe.
Yuzu trees are strong and can live in cold weather. They are good for places with cold winters. They usually make fruit after 3-4 years of planting and can live for over 100 years. The fruit is usually picked in the fall and winter months, with the best time being from October to December.
What Does Yuzu Fruit Taste Like?
There’s no one fruit that tastes like yuzu because it is very different. If you haven’t tried one, you can think of lemon, lime, mandarin, and grapefruit together. We don’t suggest eating it raw because of its strong flavor. You can eat the peel, though, because it makes your mouth fresh.
Is Yuzu The Same As A Lemon?
Just by looking at its color, people might think that yuzu is like lemon in how it tastes. But the truth is, the East Asian fruit is not like lemons or citron. People think that yuzu is made from a kind of mandarin orange and another citrus fruit called papeda.
How is Yuzu Used?
People use yuzu like how they would use lemon and limes for their recipes. The good thing is that this fruit can be used when it is not ripe or ripe. It makes food better with its flavor and sourness. Using the peel also makes food smell good.
In Japan, cooks often use the green peel for making yuzu kosho. This is a paste that people use a lot with their food. It is made from hot peppers. It makes food more tasty with its saltiness, sourness, and spiciness.
The special smell of yuzu kosho is good for different food, like raw fish, sandwiches, and even cookies! Yuzu is also an important part of ponzu. This Japanese sauce mixes soy sauce, mirin, rice vinegar, and sake. It’s good for dumplings, salads, rice bowls, and many other dishes.
If you want to make your drinks, desserts, marinade, sauces, or vinaigrette more nice with a flowery touch, yuzu is the way to go. It is used a lot during the winter because it can make your body warm.
There are also yuzu snacks and drinks. Desserts like yuzu ice cream and sherbet are popular in Japan.
Other Uses of Yuzu Fruit
Yuzu is not just for food. In Japan, they have a special thing they do in the winter. It is called yuzuburo (柚子風呂). It means taking a hot bath with many yuzu in the water. The yuzu make the water smell nice. Japanese people think that taking a yuzu bath will make you healthy for the whole year. It also makes your skin better.
Yuzu also smells nice for other things, like oils, cosmetics, creams, and more.
Potential Health Benefits of Yuzu
Yuzu is good for you. It has vitamin C, which helps your body fight germs. It also has other things that can help with swelling and cancer.
Yuzu has been used in Japan and China as a way to feel better when you have a cold or flu. The fruit can help with sore throat, stuffy nose, and fever. Studies have also shown that yuzu can help with swelling and cancer.
Where and When to Buy Yuzu
Yuzu is easy to find in Japan. Every year, Japan makes about 27,000 tons of yuzu. Kochi Prefecture makes the most yuzu. It makes about 52% of all the yuzu. They have been making more yuzu since the ‘60s because more people want it. Tokushima and Ehime Prefectures also make a lot of yuzu, with 13% and 11% of all the yuzu.
You can buy Yuzu in Japan all year long. If you live in Japan, you can grow it in your garden because it can live in cold weather.
If you’re not in Japan (or the countries that make the fruit), you can only buy things that have yuzu in them. A Japanese store should have a package of yuzu kosho. The green ones are made with the peel from a not ripe fruit. The red ones are made with the peel from a ripe fruit.
If you want to know how it tastes, drinks are your best choice. Other countries use yuzu with teas and other drinks. Look for them in the drink part of your stores or shops.
How to Buy the Best Yuzu
Yuzu trees have long and sharp thorns on their branches, which is why it can be hard to pick one without scratches on the fruit. But don’t worry, the scratches won’t change the taste and smell of yuzu. But it’s still good to choose the ones with less scratches when you buy yuzu.
The first thing to look at before picking a yuzu is the skin surface. Touch the fruit lightly to make sure that it’s hard and stiff. Don’t pick the ones that are already soft and wrinkled a lot. Then feel how heavy the fruit is. It should be heavy. If not, you might be picking yuzu that’s dry inside. Finally, get only the ones that smell good.
Can You Buy Yuzu In The US?
You can buy yuzu in the US, but only when they are in season. They are grown in California. But they are not many, so they can cost a lot of money. A small pack can cost you about $60. Remember that bringing fresh yuzu to the US from other countries is not allowed by the government. The reason is to protect local plants from diseases that are common in Asian places. This is probably why your local store will not tell you where they get the fruit from.
Keeping Your Yuzu
We suggest putting them in the freezer or fridge if you have many and won’t use them soon. They can stay in the fridge for a few weeks. They might lose their nice smell after about a week.
You can choose to cut your yuzu into peel, inside, and juice or freeze them whole like a fruit. When put in the freezer, its juice will stay good for six months. Use the peeled skin within a month.
Yuzu is a special and tasty citrus fruit that has been grown and used in Japanese food for a long time. Its food uses are many, from salty dishes, sauces, marinades to sweet cakes, jams and the peel. It is also good for you, because it has vitamin C, things that can help with swelling and cancer.