Me, yuzu

If I had to define myself in three words, it would be: "small, but strong".

A small citrus fruit originating from China, Japan is the leading producer and consumer. But in France, some farmers, masters in the art, managed to cultivate me in a haven of peace, a small village in the south of France where I was made one of the most coveted citrus fruits by chefs. stars. Wishing to bring an exotic touch to their refined cuisine, I imposed myself as the guarantee of a subtle flavor and an intoxicating fragrance.

A cross between wild mandarin and ichang lemon, we mainly like my zest when I'm green, and my juice when I'm yellow. Perfect accompaniment to seafood products, I can now be found in both sweet and savory preparations. My very tangy taste mixing lime and grapefruit with a final note of mandarin, will mark your taste buds.

In addition to my taste contributions, I am a friendly fruit: my high content of antioxidant vitamin C will support your immune defenses and you can count on my vitamin A which will fight against aging. We will use the flower of my tree to flavor tea and sake. As for my essential oil, it is in perfumery that it will be talked about.

So maybe I'm not the most aesthetic fruit: I'm small, round and bloated, but my particular and unique flavor has allowed me to earn a place of choice in world gastronomy. Like what, we can be very small and play and in the big leagues.

Text: Sonia Ben Abdeslem
Illustration: Pascal Drai