http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2012/1/9/lifeliving/10166155&sec=lifeliving

Monday January 9, 2012
Yuzu a symbol of hardiness
A SIP OF MATCHA
By SARAH MORI

The yuzu, which was introduced to Japan from China, has grown to be a part of Japanese culture.

BOY, am I glad that the day is gradually getting longer than the night in Japan! It can be startling to step outside and find darkness descending around 4.30pm as winter solstice approaches each year. The daylight progressively wanes from the summer solstice to the winter solstice.

Twice a year, on Equinox Day around March 20 or 21 and Sept 22 or 23, the length of day and night are closest to being equal.


Yuzu fruits, which are very aromatic, range
between 5.5 and 7.5cm in diameter.

Dec 21 or 22 is usually winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere and simultaneously, summer solstice in the Southern Hemisphere. The solstices are reversed on June 20 or 21, with the day being the longest while the night is shortest.

Known as Dongzhi in Chinese, Winter Solstice Festival is called Toji in Japanese. When my brother and I were children, we used to compete with each other to roll out the most tang yuan (glutinous rice balls) – and the roundest ones, too – for Dongzhi. Our family members would gather together to eat the tang yuan in a sweet dessert soup.

As the winter gets colder, the Japanese warm up with yuzu-yu (yuzu bath), a widespread tradition which is said to ward off colds and heal chapped skins.

Since yuzu is a hardy and cold-tolerant citrus, it symbolises man’s resistance to the harsh winter. The hot bathwater releases the piquant scent of yuzu, which is believed to be therapeutic and keeps evil spirits at bay. Besides, it can be fun to soak in the bath with many yuzu bobbing around you.

The yuzu, which originated from China, was introduced to Japan during the Nara period (AD 710-794). It was used for culinary and medicinal purposes, and also in hot baths. From a distance, the yuzu might be mistaken for mandarin oranges, since they are both in season. However, unlike the orange, the yuzu’s skin has bumps.

On Toji, hot springs and public baths will have lots of yuzu floating in the water. You can buy yuzu and make your own yuzu-yu. For convenience’s sake, you can use store-bought yuzu bath salt.

Every year, my Japanese friend would give me some yuzu from the tree in her garden.

“The yuzu is too tart to be eaten. Use them for yuzu-yu,” she once told me.

“Mottainai (what a waste)!” I thought to myself.

I often freeze any leftover yuzu for future use. Its juice and grated zest give jellies and cakes an aromatic tang. As a garnish, its slivered zest imparts a tangy flavour. And yuzu jam makes a delicious spread.


The hardy yuzu tree is known to survive temperatures as low as
-12°C.

Many products are made from yuzu. Flavoured and yuzu-based soy sauce is commonly used as a dipping sauce, dressing or marinade.

Then there is yuzu kosho (yuzu pepper in paste form) – a relish which enhances the flavour of dishes and gives them a kick. Yuzu hachimitsu (yuzu combined with honey) makes a lovely, fragrant tea. There are other uses for yuzu, such as in liquor and cosmetics.

In ancient times, Toji is thought to be the day when death is the closest because the day is the shortest and the night is the longest. Hence, consuming beta-carotene rich kabocha (Japanese pumpkin) and taking yuzu-yu are said to fortify one’s body against sicknesses.

As kabocha can be preserved for a long time, it signifies hardiness in the face of winter. Depending on individual taste and the region one comes from, kabocha can be cooked in various ways. It can boiled with sugar and soy sauce or with added meat.

Some people boil pumpkin and azuki (red beans) together with sugar. The red colour of the azuki is thought to expel malevolence and misfortune.

Synonymous with Toji is a hi-watari (fire-walking) ritual at certain shrines. It is performed to bring good health and protection for the coming year and to purge impurities of the past year. Visitors walk barefoot through a path made in the middle of a bonfire. After completing the walk, they would receive a yuzu.

As for me, I concocted kabocha tang yuan last year by merging Japanese and Chinese traditions together. While we were enjoying it, my son remarked: “These yellow balls in the soup resemble tiny yuzu in a yuzu-yu, don’t they?”

■ Sarah Mori, a Malaysian married to a Japanese, has been living in Japan since 1992.

The article is crammed full of links so go to the original site if you want to see them.

http://blisstree.com/eat/nutrition/superfood-watch-yuzu-japanese-grapefruit-could-boost-your-mood-and-your-cooking-805/

Mon, Feb 27 - 12:52 pm ET

Superfood Watch: Yuzu (‘Japanese Grapefruit’) Could Boost Your Mood (And Your Cooking)
by Elizabeth Nolan Brown



One food you may have noticed trending right now is the Asian citrus fruit called yuzu, aka Japanese grapefruit. You can find yuzu in cupcakes, martinis and chocolates, touting health benefits and taste—call it the new pomegranate or acai berry. So what is it, what do you do with it and does the yuzu live up to its superfood status?

The yuzu—which looks like a small grapefruit or a large lemon—originated in China but is most cultivated in Japan and Korea (and sometimes known as a Japanese grapefruit). The tart fruit isn’t generally eaten whole but used as an ingredient in seasonings, sauces, sweets, teas and liquors. And, recently, it’s been popping up on trendy menus and in craft foods all around the U.S.

Want proof? Yuzu can be found in artisanal marmalade in San Francisco, in cocktails in Phoenix (Beet & Yuzu Gimlet, anyone?), in cherry soda in Las Vegas and in margaritas in Schaumburg, Ill. There’s something called ‘Kumamoto Oysters Meyer Lemon-Yuzu Ice’ at RedFarm, a greenmarket/Chinese fusion restaurant in New York’s West Village. There’s flourless chocolate cake with yuzu/miso custard at a restaurant in Florida. There are vegan yuzu cupcakes in Palm Springs, yuzu poppyseed macarons in Sacramento, and Yuzu Toddys in Chicago. SF Weekly recently ran an article on the best places to find yuzus and pink limes.
“Recently with the growing popularity of adding novel botanicals, Yuzu has experienced a boom in popularity,” says Elizabeth Trattner, an acupuncturist and Chinese medicine practitioner. The fruit is great “from an aromatherapy perspective—it’s a powerful mood lifter and smells amazing.”

A 2010 Journal of Food Science study article found limolene, from the yuzu’s peel, may have anti-inflammatory benefits.

David Karp, a pomologist and Los Angeles Times writer who calls himself the “fruit detective,” says “there is very little [yuzu nutrition] information available in English, since yuzu is a rarity here.” Karp wrote a New York Times article about yuzu’s “chef’s darling” status—in 2003. Turns out the yuzu has been trending for quite a while now … Here’s how Karp described it:

Quote:

A hybrid of a primitive citrus called Ichang papeda and a sour mandarin orange, the yuzu originated in China but is most widely cultivated in Japan, where shreds or slivers of its rind are used to accent cooked vegetables, fish and noodles. Its zest and juice enhance soy sauces, miso toppings, ponzu sauces and vinegars. The yuzu ideally complements matsutake mushrooms, and is harvested in the same season, autumn and early winter. Over this time, the fruit ripens from green to bright yellow, when it is sweetest and most aromatic.

Because yuzu cannot legally be imported into the United States, the only yuzu available here is the little bit that’s grown domestically.

Nutrition Info: 1 yuzu has about 20 calories, 2 grams fiber, 1 gram protein, 1 gram sugar, 7 grams carbohydrates and 32% your daily dose of vitamin C. [source]

Recipes: Here’s a recipe for pickled turnip with yuzu, from Just One Cookbook author Nami Chen. Here’s an italian twist on yuzu: Pignoli Yuzu Gremolata, from Taste With the Eyes. And here’s one for glazed yuzu pound cakes.

Photos: 1) Kyoto Foodie, who offers up a recipe for yuzu liqueur; 2) Taste With The Eyes.