NICE TO MEET yuzu

With its delicious tang and fresh, citrusy aroma,  yuzu brings an exquisite twist to drinks, marinades, desserts and more. Here’s why the unique Asian fruit  is set to become the next big thing in our kitchens.

- Rebecca Howden

The taste of yuzu fruit is difficult to describe — tart, sour, citrusy, magnificent. It’s in the family of lemons, mandarins and grapefruits, but yuzu has a distinct flavour and a strong, intoxicating fragrance that makes it truly special to experience.

Yuzu originated in the Yangtze River region of China more than a thousand years ago. However, it’s most closely associated with Japanese and Korean culture, where it features sumptuously in foods, drinks and aromatic bath and self-care products. Now, yuzu fruit is making its way into Australia’s trendiest restaurants, distilleries and bakeries, and it’s definitely starting to make a splash.

As with lemons, you don’t eat yuzu as a fruit. Rather, its juice, zest and peel are used to add exquisite flavour to foods and drinks, from gin cocktails to marinated prawns to custard desserts. “Once you get a fresh piece of yuzu and you zest it, the whole room fills up with aroma — it’s amazing,” says Jane Casey of Mountain Yuzu, one of Australia’s few blossoming yuzu growers. “I’ve yet to come across someone who hasn’t loved it.”

Inside the yuzu orchards Mountain Yuzu is a small farm in north-east Victoria, nestled in the foothills of Mount Buffalo. Its owners, Jane and Brian Casey, first discovered for themselves the magic of yuzu in around 2006 on a flight to Japan, where they were delighted by “the most magnifi centtasting soft drink” flavoured with the sharp tang of yuzu juice.