What is Yuzu? A Guide to the Japanese Citrus

If you’re a fan of big, bold citrus flavours, you’ve probably heard about yuzu. A hugely popular fruit across Asia, this zingy citrus is becoming a popular flavour in many Japanese shops online.

Discover what makes yuzu more than just a variation of lemon, and why its unique aroma has become a secret weapon for asian cooks across the world.

What is Yuzu?

Yuzu is a citrus fruit, originally grown in China but now common across much of East Asia. It’s also starting to be grown in other parts of the world as it becomes more popular.

The yuzu fruit is a natural hybrid of mandarin oranges and ichang papaeda, a particularly hardy citrus very similar to lemon. To many, it looks like a yellow mandarin, with a round shape, uneven skin and yellow flesh inside.

Despite first being cultivated in China, yuzu is most associated with Japan, where different varieties of yuzu are widely produced. Beyond being cultivated for food, yuzu trees can also produce aromatic leaves and beautiful flowers.

What Does Yuzu Taste Like?

Yuzu is a complicated citrusy flavour, often described as a combination of lemon, orange and grapefruit.

The fruit has a unique taste that you have to experience to fully understand, but the most common word people use for it is tart; yuzu has an intense sweetness and zing, but not quite the same sharpness you’d expect from a lemon.

Yuzu zest and peel have a similar sweetness with a strong floral aroma, adding another level of freshness.

Is Yuzu Good for You?

As with many other citrus fruits, yuzu is packed with healthy goodness. It contains high levels of vitamins C and A, as well as other antioxidants such as limonene, which is found in yuzu peel.

While yuzu isn’t a superfood, it can offer a healthy alternative when trying to add sweetness to food and drink.

How to Use Yuzu in Asian Cooking

Because it is quite sour, the yuzu fruit is rarely eaten on its own. Much like lemons, yuzu is most commonly used to add flavour or garnish to dishes, both savoury and sweet.

Because it has such an intense sweetness, adding just a little bit of yuzu flavour can elevate food and drink to new heights. Here are some common places you’ll find yuzu in Asian cuisine, particularly in Japan:

• Alcoholic Drinks: Yuzu juice adds a wonderful freshness to chilled highballs, and yuzu peels can add an aromatic finish to cocktails.
• Fish: Similar to lemon, yuzu juice adds depth to fish dishes, either during cooking or as a garnish.
• Salad dressing: Yuzu juice is regularly used in salads to add tangy sweetness.
• Baking: Yuzu zest can be used in a similar way to lemon or orange zest to add more citrus sweetness to bakes.

In Japan, it’s common for households to have yuzu kosho, a condiment made of yuzu, chillis and salt which adds tang and heat to any dish. You can also find yuzu infused in other things, such as yuzu soy sauce.

Can You Use Lemon as a Yuzu Substitute?

Generally speaking, lemon is a perfectly fine substitute for yuzu in most recipes. However, because yuzu is slightly more complex, you need to know what you want from the yuzu to find the ideal alternative.

If you’re looking for a tangy taste, then lemon is the easiest yuzu substitute, but bear in mind that it might be a little sharper. If you need yuzu’s sweetness, then grapefruit may be a better substitute. Adding lime can also help to soften some of the lemon’s acidity when substituting it for yuzu.

You could try to blend lime, grapefruit and lemon together to add the complex citrus taste of yuzu, but for general use when cooking, lemon should be a fine substitute.

Easier than trying to find a replacement, however, is stocking your cupboard with some yuzu-infused staples. From seasoning sauces to ramen noodles and gorgeous chilled drinks, we stock a collection of yuzu-infused Japanese produce so you’re never far away from that unique citrus taste. Just search for yuzu in our search bar to find all of our wonderful yuzu goods!