When life gives you Yuzu...

If I mention the word Yuzu to you, you’ll either know exactly what I’m talking about or you won’t have a clue. The name comes connected to Japanese winter baths, afternoon tea, French Toast, but its connection to its citrus cousins will give it away. The Yuzu lemon is a Japanese variety of citrus fruit wish in recent years has been taking over the culinary (and blogging!) world… Most tend to describe the flavour as being a combination of a typical western lemons, limes, grapefruits, and mandarins. With an irregular and thicker skin, larger pips, and higher price tag, these fruit won’t have you making lemonade any time soon though. Despite this, like the fragrance, it is the intensity of the juice and essential oils which has captured the imagination of leading chefs around the world.

Yuzu lemons: somewhere between a lemon, lime, grapefruit and mandarin (photo by Nikita cc-by-2.0).

The famously fish forward Nobu restaurants were among the first establishments to bring the Yuzu lemon to the mainstream in their miso marinades. Since then a quick browse of their various menus demonstrates it’s versatility: Yuzu truffle, seared toro tuna with Yuzu, baby corn Yuzu, blueberry and Yuzu compote, Yuzu honey dressings, French Toast with Yuzu, and even making it’s way into the traditional British afternoon tea!

One of the more traditional of uses for Yuzu lemons originates from the depths of the winter solstice in the country it is most heavily cultivated. Taking advantage of the intense aromas and the glowing bright colour of the skin, bathing in pools of Yuzu fruit is a pleasure saved for the darkest times of the year. With various suggested health benefits ranging from increased blood flow, to boosting the immune system, to reducing fatigue, this is one aspect of deep winter which anyone could look forward to.

Recently, the Yuzu plant has made it around the world from Japan, and is now regularly available to buy from gardening centres almost anywhere. If you have green fingers, thumbs or hands, now might be the time to try growing your own Yuzu plant. Comfortable in pots as well as in sheltered sunny locations, they can offer an easy growing, attractive, and exotic, aspect to your home garden, whether large or small. Furthermore, in contrast to some other citrus varieties, the Yuzu plant offers a greater degree of frost resistance. With the ability to endure colder climates with frosts down to -8°C, you too could have a good chance of growing your own Yuzu.

And so, now it seems we finally know the answer. If life gives you lemons: hopefully they're Yuzu lemons.

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