Properties: Yuzu Fruit
Yuzu fruits are comparable to lemons, slightly larger than these. Nutritional value and taste more complex than lemons.
Origin: Yuzu Fruit
The yuzu comes from China, where it has been cultivated for several thousand years. Today, the yuzu is associated with Japan.
Uses: Yuzu Fruit
You can use the entire fruit, both the peel and the flesh. The fruit is popular for its sour note in cocktails as yuzu juice, syrup, or even as a tea.
Storage: Yuzu Fruit
The fruits are easily storables after harvest as they do not continue to ripen.
In processed form (juice, syrup, tea, etc) the Yuzu is longer storable and shelf-stable. As fresh fruits, these should be refrigerated for about 3 weeks.
Health: Yuzu Fruit
The Yuzu fruit is low in calories but very rich in vitamin C, secondary plant compounds, and aromas. Besides vitamin C, the content of potassium, phosphorus, calcium, as well as B-vitamins is high.
Season of Yuzu Fruit: The yuzu fruit season is from October to December.
Yuzu Fruit taste: complex, much more than citrus-like, sour, slightly bitter, sweet and fruity
The Yuzu Fruit – almost indispensable in Asian cuisine, yet still completely unknown here
The yuzu is a fruit from the Rutaceae plant family, which is primarily known in South Korea and Japan. The fruit has a great similarity to the lemon, but contains a variety of different substances. Taste-wise, the yuzu can be described as a mixture of grapefruit and lemon. The yuzu fruit grows on the yuzu plant, which is an upright shrub or small, narrow tree – those shed their leaves in winter. The branches bear thorns up to 3 centimeters long at the leaf axils. The yellowish to light orange-colored fruits of the yuzu are about the size of a tennis ball and weigh around 100 grams when ripe. The slightly flattened, round shape of the yuzu is encased by a lemon-like peel – both the peel and the fruit flesh are edible. Taste-wise, this has a sour-aromatic to slightly bitter note. This fruit, which can be cultivated in wine-growing climates, is quite cold-resistant and has a season from October to early December. At the beginning of the harvest time, the fruits may still have greenish-colored fruit flesh, but their color changes towards the end of the season into yellow. The main cultivation areas for yuzu fruit are still mainly in South Korea and Japan today. In Japan, the yuzu fruit is primarily cultivated on the Shikoku Island. However, nowadays, the yuzu fruit is also cultivated in Europe, such as in Spain or Italy.
Purchasing, Storage and Usage of the yuzu Fruit
In Asian cuisine, ripe yuzu fruits are often used for the preparation of fruit-flavored salads but also as an ingredient in aromatic dressings. Furthermore, this is also used as a topping for many Japanese baked goods. In addition to salt and pepper, the yuzu fruit is also considered a spice in Japan to make dishes more sour or bitter. Here, ripe yuzu fruits can be purchased mainly at exclusive Asia shops. With increasing cultivation in Spain, the yuzu fruit will also be found on supermarket shelves in the coming years. Since yuzu fruits – and citrus fruits in general – retain their ripeness after harvest, no significant storage precautions are necessary. Ripe yuzu fruits can last up to 3 weeks, but should be stored cool during this time. The fruit flesh can be consumed raw, while the fruit peel should only be grated for consumption as bitter substances in the interior of the peel can reduce the health benefits of the yuzu fruit.