sl
Yuzu
Dear Friends-
Kind greetings! Here is some interesting information on yuzu. Enough of you expressed interest in this lovely oil that I will go ahead and order a liter or two. Here is some more information for you regarding it.
This week I will try to put together a bit on Plai as this is also a fascinating oil and has a lot of application in traditional medicine of Thailand with a favored place in massage therapy-
Christopher
Yuzu (Citrus junos): Uplifting, refreshing and fortifying. Yuzu is a citrus fruit that resembles a small orange, and yields an oil by cold expression of the rind. Yuzu is grown in Japan and has been used in their traditional herbal medicines for thousands of years as a panacea for almost everything. In action it is similar to Bergamot, and has a truly unique, fresh and citrus fragrance.
- Rare, cold hardy citrus with intensely aromatic flesh and a unique lemon-citron like flavor. Tree is said to be hardy to 10F. The fruits are especially popular in Japan. Can be grown in a container.
Yuzu, or Citrus junos sieh. ex Tanaka, is originally from China and belongs to the family of rhombic plants whose fruit are considered citrus fruit. Yuzu's enchanting sunny flavor profile combines the best of grapefruit, tangerine and lemon to provide an unforgettable experience for the taste buds.
Its balanced, fresh taste profile is excellently suited for use in beverages of the "near water" kind (i.e., clear, still and refreshing drinks slightly sweetened with fructose), fruit juices or ice teas. Applied in sour milk products such as yogurts or yogurt drinks as well as in confectionery, e.g., in hard candy, toffee or chewing gum, the yuzu flavor proves to be fresh and juicy.
A traditional citrus fruit in Asian countries, thanks to its highly interesting taste profile, Yuzu should become popular in Europe and in America as well. Emil Flachsmann AG, Susanne Fassler, +41 (0) 1 782 64 64, sales@flachsmann.com, www.flachsmann.com
A yuzu (Citrus aurantium, formerly C. junos; Japanese ??o?Y, ?\M, ?\M?q) is a citrus fruit that grows in Japan. It looks a bit like a small grapefruit, and can be either yellow or green.
Yuzu flavor closely resembles that of the grapefruit, with overtones of Mandarin orange but it is rarely eaten as a fruit. It is commonly used as a herb somewhat like the way a lemon is used in other cuisines. Its outer skin is also used to garnish a dish. Yuzu may also be used to make marmalade or a cake. Yuzukosho, lit. yuzu and pepper, is a hot and spicy sauce made with green yuzu skin and green pepper.
Bathing with yuzu on Toji (the winter solstice) is a popular custom."
Description/Taste
Pronounced YOO-zoo, the yuzu lime is wrapped in a thick uneven golden or green colored skin. Its flesh offers a tangy flavor that is somewhat reminiscent to a grapefruit, but with a distinct mandarin orange overtone. Smelling something like a lime, but not exactly, its fragrance is quite unique. Yuzu limes release an extraordinary aroma that is definitely their very own. About the size of a small grapefruit or a tangerine, this fruit is considered to be one of the most fragrant of the citrus group. Because of its pleasant scent, oils extracted from its peel are used both in cooking and as a cosmetic perfume.
Nutritional Value
Citrus juice is an excellent source of vitamin C.
Applications
This sour fruit is used almost exclusively for its aromatic rind and snappy zest. Use as a decorative garnish for clear soups. Add small slivers to a variety of dishes to enhance flavor. Simmered dishes love the presence of its shredded peel. Its astringent juice makes a very tasty contribution when used in sauces, beverages, confections and vinegar. Offering many subtle tropical flavors, this fruit creates a complex taste when sweetened to make a fruit flavored drink. Dried yuzu is sometimes combined with other spices. Its striking tree makes a lovely garden ornamental.
Ethnic/Cultural Info
A traditional hot bath is enjoyed in Japan in which many whole fruits, most often wrapped in cheesecloth, float in the water. This "yuzu-yu", or yuzu bath is taken on the evening of the winter solstice. One of the most popular fruits in Japan, this citrus scent is said to inspire optimism and promote a sense of well-being.
Geography/History
One of the most cold-resistant of the citrus fruits, the yuzu grows wild in the middle of China and in Tibet. Cultivated on a very small scale in regions of China, this fruit is much more common in Japan. Growing throughout Japan, it loves living next to streams. Although mainly grown in Japan, it is thought the yuzu probably originated in Central China. Fruiting in late fall, the gorgeous blanket of golden ripe yuzu across the land is a reminder the chill of winter is right around the corner. At one time recognized as a species, Citrus junos, yuzu limes are now represented as either a variety of Citrus aurantium, the bitter orange or as a hybrid. A tropical taste that's making a big hit with chefs, the culinary virtues of the yuzu are making the common orange, lemon and lime take a back seat in a variety of tasty exotic creations.
Flavor of the Month: Yuzu (—M??E^q)
Have you ever experienced a yuzu bath (—M??E^q“’: yuzu-yu), a special bath prepared in Japan on the shortest day of the year, toji (“~??E^??E^) or winter solstice? On this particular day, and only on this day, yuzu, a type of citrus, is put into a readied bath, the hot water helping to release a pleasant aroma from the fruit. Floating, yet partly submerged, the yellow fruits add a calming visual to the aromatic atmosphere. On some occasions the yuzu fruits are placed in a bag made of thin toweling and dunked in the hot bath, then squeezed to extract the fragrant juice. Are you wondering why people go to such trouble? Well, taking a yuzu bath is believed to bring you wealth and assure good health. While the origin of this custom remains uncertain, it is perhaps linked to the yellow color of the fruit, which symbolizes nobleness according to Chinese tradition. In fact, in Japan we also eat yellow pumpkins on the same day.
The yuzu tree originated in China and was brought into Japan during the Nara Period (8th century). It first gained popularity with the noble classes in the Kansai region, and later spread to other warm regions around Japan. In summer, small white blossoms cover its branches, temporarily disguising the sharp thorns that often make picking yuzu a troublesome task. In our garden at home my wife and I have two yuzu trees, both over twenty years old. Every year they delight us by producing lots and lots of fruits, often far beyond our needs. We usually end up giving many of them to our friends and neighbors.
When it comes to cooking, the aromatic rind of the fruit does an excellent job in enhancing the flavor of our dishes. From late summer to early autumn, the trees provide us with a supply of small green fruits. Adding some of the pungent green rind, sliced or grated, to soup or some other dish gives it a truly delicious flavor. Then in late autumn when the fruit ripen and turn a brilliant golden-yellow, the flavor and fragrance change and we can once again look forward to special yuzu dishes. It may be this unique characteristic that makes yuzu a hit with many Japanese, and is possibly why it is preferred to other Western citrus fruits such as lemons and limes.
Now that your taste buds have been excited, I'd like to introduce an interesting dish known as yuzu-gama (—M??E^q??E^˜), literally meaning "yuzu-pot". It goes particularly well with sake or white wine.
Recipe:
Cut off the stem end of two yuzu fruits and remove the contents, taking care so as not to break the rind. Squeeze the contents to produce a juice, then add several drops of vinegar to the juice. So far, you have made what is called yuzu-su (—M??E^q??E^|: yuzu vinegar). Next, mix
two teaspoons of this yuzu-su with three tablespoons of white miso (”’–¡‘X: white soy-bean paste), one tablespoon of mirin (–¡çÌ: Japanese sweet liquor), and two tablespoons of dashi-jiru (??E^o‚µ??E^`: broth). This will give you sufficient dressing for two yuzu-pots.
In each of the hollowed fruits place three shrimp, one-half of a fresh shiitake mushroom (’Å‘ù), a mitsuba leaf (??E^O‚—t) and several drops of sake. Heat the stuffed fruits in a microwave oven for a minute and a half. Then, add about half of the above-mentioned dressing to each and heat for half a minute again - that is all there is to it! Now you can prepare an elegant starter dish for two with the utmost of ease, yet the utmost of flavor. Bon appetite!
T. Fujii