Discover all you need to know about this distinct fruit in our guide below, including yuzu fruit recipe inspiration and the top yuzu fruit benefits.
What is Yuzu Fruit?
Fragrant, sour, and vibrant, yuzu fruit is most commonly associated with Japanese cuisine. It’s a hybrid citrus variety that's small and bumpy in appearance. Its flesh is a beautiful yellow color, and it can be likened to a mandarin visually. Its flavor profile is intensely sour and sits somewhere between a lemon, grapefruit, and orange, with floral notes. Rich in vitamins and minerals, yuzu is also packed full of antioxidants and is especially high in Vitamin C.
It holds cultural significance in Japan, beyond being simply used in dishes. During the winter solstice, for example, it’s said to bring good luck. And if you take a yuzu bath on the day of the winter solstice, adding whole yuzu fruits and rinds to the bath water, legend has it that you won’t catch a cold. This ritual is thought to ward off evil and bring good fortune through the process of purification. Outside of the winter solstice, there are entire islands that host dedicated festivals to the fruit. Indeed, fruit is deeply embedded in Japanese culture and the utmost care and consideration is afforded when it comes to growing and gifting fruit. There’s a growing market for expensive massaged melons, a technique said to make the fruit sweeter, and an intrigue into the world of umeboshi plums, thought to be the battle fuel of Samurai warriors.
Incredibly versatile and flavorful, yuzu has gained traction and risen in popularity in cuisines across the world in recent years. From yuzu-flavored gins to marmalade to sparkling water to kombucha, it’s a flavor that’s captured the imagination of global foodies owing to its unique, potent taste.
How to Use Yuzu Fruit in Recipes
When cooking with yuzu, it’s best to approach this little fruit as you would a lemons or limes. Its zesty, sour flavor can lift dishes with its bright and floral notes and yuzu fruit can also be zested in similar ways to lemon and limes to add fragrance to a dish. And just like lemon and limes, you’d rarely eat a yuzu whole on its own. It’s far better used as an addition or flavoring agent for your recipes.
Given its potency, it’s generally recommended to use slightly less yuzu than you would a lemon or lime. Consider adding yuzu to your favorite dips, lemon-based salad dressings, or even try making yuzu ice cream or sorbet. It’s also a brilliantly zesty ingredient for adding to your top cocktails and pairs exceptionally well with gin-based drinks. For sweeter dishes, yuzu can be used in baking and is perfect for an Asian-inspired twist on your favorite American cheesecake recipe, or for citrus cupcakes.
Yuzu in Season: When to Enjoy it Fresh
Interestingly, yuzu fruit doesn’t have to be at its ripest to be used in recipes. When it’s not quite ripened, and the skin is green, this can be the ideal time for zesting the fruit and adding to condiments.
But if you do want to use yuzu when it’s freshest, the yuzu season runs from October through early winter. The unripe green yuzu can be harvested much earlier in July, extending the season for cooking with yuzu.
You may have heard that yuzu fruit cannot be imported into the U.S. and are asking yourself why yuzu fruit is illegal? This ban isn’t exclusive to yuzu fruit, but instead covers a variety of citrus fruit to help prevent contagious disease spreading. This ban applies only to fresh yuzu fruit, however. As a result, there are now some areas in the U.S. that grow the fruit domestically, but you will often find it imported as a bottled juice or as a flavor for a wide range of products.
