The homeland of yuzu, chemical composition, benefits and harms of Japanese lemon - you can find out about it here. After all, few people know about this fruit! Yuzu is a hybrid of Ichang papeda and mandarin. This fruit has been known since the time of Confucius. The homeland of yuzu (yuzu) is China. It is known that popularity came to him in the 7-8 centuries, when he came to Japan thanks to Buddhist monks. Today, it grows wild in Korea, Tibet, and central China. It is also called yuzu or yunos.
Yuzu is a small shrub or tree, its height reaches four meters, there are numerous large thorns on the branches. It is characterized by frost resistance - it is able to withstand even 9-degree frost. Other citrus fruits can be grafted onto yuzu.
"Japanese lemon" is somewhat reminiscent of tangerine, however, its peel is rough with an average thickness of 3, 9 mm, and the color from golden yellow to dark green - it depends on how ripe it is. The yuzu fruit is 7.5 cm in diameter, the weight of one fruit is on average 52 g, which contains an average of 27 seeds.
A variety of yuzu or yuzu with a bumpy crust is called shishi yuzu, which means lion.
These fruits taste sour than limes and lemons (read about the beneficial properties of ordinary lemon). The aroma is a little tart, you can catch shades of needles and flowers. The Japanese symbolize this fruit with optimism, inspiration and well-being.
Yuzu composition
The peel of the fruit contains all types of sugars (sucrose, fructose, glucose), fiber, pectin, nitrogenous substances, citric acid (4.5%), glycosides, essential oils.
As with all citrus fruits, yuzu contains a large amount of vitamin C (40 mg), which maintains health and strengthens the immune system in case of colds. It contains a lot of vitamin PP and potassium, which have a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system as a whole and strengthen the walls of blood vessels. It also contains vitamin A (good for the eyes), calcium and phosphorus salts (for nails, bones, teeth, hair), vitamin B (to support the functioning of the central and peripheral nervous system).
Calorie content yuzu
per 100 g of product is 21 kcal:
- Proteins - 0.5 g
- Fat - 0.1 g
- Carbohydrates - 7 g
Useful properties of yuzu
The favorite seasoning of the Japanese is the juice and the peel of the fruit itself. Yuzu zest is rubbed into miso soups, and juice is added to marinades and sauces. Salad dressings, vinegar, non-alcoholic, alcoholic drinks are made from zest and juice.
The fruit is used in the preparation of jam, marmalade and preserves. The green fruit is used for the spicy yuzu-koshu (yuzukosho), a paste made from the peel of unripe Japanese tangerines, hot chili peppers, and sea salt.
Fruit syrups
are a good remedy for the treatment of colds. In general, the use of yuzu helps to stimulate the digestive and circulatory systems.
Where else is the Japanese yuzu lemon used?
In addition to cooking, he is involved in Toji, the celebration of the winter solstice in Japan. To get rid of the evil forces of winter, improve health and obtain wealth, they take baths with yuzu fruit or their peel, filled with hot water (the Japanese call such a bath "yuzu-yu").
This choice was made for a reason. "Japanese lemon" helps to relieve nervous tension, fatigue, makes the skin soft and elastic, and improves mood. It is used to make tinctures and essential oils, traditionally used during massage and rubbing for rheumatism, arthritis and other pains.
Decorative "Japanese lemon":
the Japanese call it "hana yuzu", it is not grown for its fruit, but for its beautiful flowers.
Japanese lemon in perfumery directly uses juice, zest and oil. Most often, the fresh scent of yuzu lemon rind can be found in the top notes.
Making yuzhachha tea from yudza
Koreans call yuzu like this: "yuzha", and from it they make yuzhachha tea. Moreover, the preparation of the drink requires not fresh yuzu fruits, but pre-candied ones. They are collected in autumn, after which they are peeled, cut into slices, seeds are removed, placed in a pot and sprinkled with sugar in a 1: 1 ratio. Instead of sugar, you can pour honey. Leave this "jam" for 1 week. When sugared, yuzu forms a lot of thick juice, which settles in the form of a syrup visa, and the pulp floats upward. Lemons candied in this way can be stored for a long time.
To prepare the yuzhachha drink, take a tablespoon of syrup and candied pulp, then dilute with boiling water. You can add a few grains of pine nuts to the drink, honey or sugar to taste.
Harm to Japanese yuzu lemon
These fruits are citrus fruits, therefore, use them no more than 200 g per day. Although I have no idea how you can eat even 100 grams of this lemon, even 50 will be hard to master. The reason is that after overeating, allergies may appear in the form of urticaria, itching and angioedema. With peptic ulcer, gastritis, pancreatitis, hepatitis, cholecystitis, you also need to be careful with the use of yuzu - an exacerbation of these diseases is possible. Therefore, when using the Japanese miracle fruit, it will not be superfluous to remember the old rule: "everything is good in moderation." This also applies to the harm of persimmons and other fruits.
