Rungis have fresh Japanese Yuzu

Yuzu is a small Japanese citrus fruit at the centre of attention. This rare and up to now unavailable citrus is loved because of its characteristically aromatic smell, the exceptional oils in the peel and the exquisite juice. The peel and juice of the Yuzu are used most. The aromatic peel adds fine taste accents to dishes. The juice is less sour and much more delicate than lemon. A complex mix of lime, lemon and the sweet overtone of mandarin. Connoisseurs recognise grapefruit and pine-needle aromas as well. Yuzu juice is used in fish and meat dishes: gels, mayonnaise, vinaigrettes, soups, sauces, in cocktails and desserts.

Yuzu, which grows on prickly beautiful trees, grows best on a deep layer of slightly acidic soil with a good flow-off of rain water. The perfect environment is a mountain area with large differences in temperature between day and night, which create the best taste, such as in the Kochi prefecture where most of the Yuzu originates.

In Japan there are three varieties of yellow and green Yuzu. Outside the season Yuzu is grown in glasshouses. The fruit, which has the size and form of a mandarin has a vulnerable, rough and often loose skin. There are many pips in the fruit and little but extremely nice juice. The juice costs as much as a good glass of wine, but for most dishes a few drops suffice. 90% of the Yuzu crop is deep-frozen immediately, processed to juice, dried or used in all kind of products. Only 10% passes selection and is traded as fresh fruit. Fresh Yuzu is still difficult to obtain in Europe, Sporadically fresh Yuzu comes from California. But as is the case very often the taste of the American Yuzu is less characteristic than that of those Yuzu coming from its own area. Originally Yuzu came from China and Korea.

Fresh Asian Yuzu may not be imported into the EU because of a certain citrus disease. But there is something new: 6 years ago a new isolated Yuzu plantation with clean trees was planted. This plantation supplies fruit in the meantime and has been found to be disease free. All fruit from this plantation is allowed to be sold by only one Japanese exporter to one importer in the EU.

For more information:
Gert Jan Zonneveld Piek
Rungis b.v.
HZH 48, Handelscentrum
Barendrecht
Tel: 0031 180 617899
[email protected]
www.rungis.nl