All About Yuzu
With a smell that sparkles and a flavor that sings, yuzu may be the ultimate citrus experience! Bumpy and packed with flavor, fresh yuzu fruits are used a lot like lemons and limes for their zest and flavorful juice as an ingredient in a wide array of dishes.
These golden citrus fruits with their quintessentially fragrant, zesty flavor can be hard to find in the United States. But at FruitStand, we look forward to sending you a beautiful package of extraordinary yuzu fruits from our small specialty farms partners. Keep reading to learn all about yuzu!
The yuzu fruit (Citrus junos), known as yuja in Korea, is a citrus fruit that is very hard to find in the United States. Here at FruitStand, we think fresh yuzu is something everyone needs to experience! Even though most yuzu lovers will tell you there’s nothing in the world like it (they’re not wrong!) yuzu’s flavor is often compared to a cross between grapefruit and mandarin to illustrate it’s complex bitter and sweet citrus flavor. It’s known to be exceptionally fragrant with zesty and sour citrusy aromas.
Yuzu is typically used as a flavorful ingredient rather than a raw fruit for snacking, so there are many ways to prepare it in snacks, dishes and drinks. This versatile ingredient takes easily to many preparation types. They’re edible raw, and from there, yuzu can be dried, frozen, cooked, candied and preserved in countless ways. The fruit and seeds are commonly used in fermentations and infusions to impart their complex flavor. Yuzu seeds are not edible, but they’re often used in applications like ponzu sauce, vinegars or other infusions to impart citrusy flavor into liquids, proteins and creams. They are, however, strained away before serving.
On the outside, yuzu has golden yellow skin that’s naturally bumpy. Inside, the fruit is a light yellow and glitters with shiny pulp. Between the skin and the fruit is an offwhite pith. The seeds are tanish white with a layer of fresh green skin.
It’s easy to tell when yuzu is ripe by its color, fragrance and feel. A fully ripened yuzu is round and somewhat squat and ranges in size from that of a lemon to a grapefruit. They are a golden yellow color, and may still have hints of green on its skin. Their potent fragrance is sweet, citrusy and zesty. Finally, when you hold the fruit, it should feel a little heavy for its size and the skin should be naturally bumpy yet taut.
Yuzu is believed to have originated in China. Today, yuzu grows natively throughout China, Japan and Korea. Some varieties of yuzu are only available in Japan. Today, they’re cultivated in the United States as well. Yuzu fruit grows on a relatively small tree with shiny leaves that resemble those of the makrut lime.
Yuzu is believed to have originated in China. Today, yuzu grows natively throughout China, Japan and Korea. Some varieties of yuzu are only available in Japan. Today, they’re cultivated in the United States as well, and FruitStand ships them directly to you! Yuzus grow on a relatively small tree with shiny leaves that resemble those of the makrut lime.
Yuzu fruits grow year round, and begin to ripen on branches in the late fall, from November through December. Fruits harvested while still green are used for their spicier citrus flavor.
Whether a yuzu is certified organic or not will depend on the farm where it was grown. At FruitStand, we only partner with the best specialty farms for exceptional quality of produce. When each harvest is available, we'll tell you whether the fruit is considered organic or conventional.
If you’ve ever wondered where to buy yuzu, we’ve got great news for you! FruitStand is proud to partner with small, specialty farmers to bring you exceptional quality yuzu. To be the first to know when FruitStand is shipping yuzu harvests, join our email newsletter!
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