Yuzu
From Free net encyclopedia
- This article is about the fruit. For other uses of the term, see Yuzu (disambiguation)
{{Taxobox | color = lightgreen | name = Yuzu | image = Yuzu3.jpg | image_width = 250px | image_caption = Yuzu branch with ripe fruit | regnum = Plantae | divisio = Magnoliophyta | classis = Magnoliopsida | subclassis = Rosidae | ordo = Sapindales | familia = Rutaceae | genus = Citrus | species = C. aurantium | binomial = Citrus aurantium | binomial_authority = L. }}
The yuzu (Citrus aurantium, formerly C. junos; Japanese ユズ, 柚, 柚子 (yuzu); 유자 (yuja) in Korean; from Chinese 柚子, yòu zi) is a citrus fruit native to East Asia. It is a variety of Bitter Orange. It looks a bit like a small grapefruit with an uneven skin, and can be either yellow or green depending on the degree of ripeness. Yuzu typically range between 5.5 and 7.5 cm in diameter, but can be as large as a grapefruit (up to 10 cm or larger).
The fruit originated in China (where it is cultivated on a small scale), and also grows wild in central China and Tibet. It was introduced to Japan and Korea during the Tang Dynasty and it is in these nations that it is cultivated most widely.
It is unusual among citrus fruits in being relatively frost-hardy, and can be grown in regions with winters as low as -5°C where more sensitive citrus would not thrive. In Japan, an ornamental version of yuzu called Template:Nihongo "flower yuzu" is also grown for its flowers rather than its fruit.
Yuzu's flavor is tart, closely resembling that of the grapefruit, with overtones of Mandarin orange. It is rarely eaten as a fruit, though in the Japanese and Korean cuisines its aromatic zest (outer rind) is also used to garnish some dishes, and its juice is commonly used as a seasoning somewhat like the way a lemon is used in other cuisines. It is an integral ingredient (along with sudachi, daidai, and other similar fruits) in the citrus-based sauce called ponzu. Yuzu may also be used to make marmalade or as an ingredient in cakes. It is also used to make wine.[1] Yuzu kosho (also yuzukosho, literally "yuzu and pepper"), is a hot and spicy Japanese sauce made from green or yellow yuzu zest, green or red chile peppers, and salt.
Yuzu is also known for its characteristically strong aroma, and the oil from its skin is marketed as a fragrance. In Japan, bathing with yuzu on Toji (the winter solstice) is a popular custom. The whole fruits are floated in the hot water of the bath (sometimes enclosed in a cloth bag), releasing their aroma.
The fruit is also used, thinly sliced and combined with sugar and honey, to make a thick, marmalade-like syrup containing pieces of the chopped rind. A tablespoon of this syrup (which can either be made at home or purchased in glass jars) stirred into a cup of hot water makes a beverage called yuja cha (also spelled yujacha or yuja-cha) in Korean, or yuzu cha (in Japanese) (cha meaning "tea"), which is used as a herbal remedy for the common cold and similar winter illnesses.
The daidai (bitter orange), another Japanese citrus fruit, is a member of the same species.
External links
- "The Secrets Behind Many Chefs' Not-So-Secret Ingredient" by David Karp, The New York Times, December 3, 2003
- Article about yuzu
- Yuzu lime page from Specialty Produce Co. site
- Yuja-cha page