Drinking plain water can be dull and boring for some people, which is why they decide to use a few drops of lemon or flavouring drops to make it tastier. Speaking of lemons, there’s another similar type of citrus fruit that people love a lot and that’s the yuzu fruit juice. Just like lemon, a few drops of this juice will not only make your water taste better but it’ll also provide you a refreshment and a handful of other benefits.
What Is Yuzu Juice?
This refreshing fruit originates from East Asia, and while in Japan it’s known under this name, in Korea it’s known as Yuja fruit and in China as Youzi. Whatever the name, the fruit is the same and is known for its bright yellow colour and its unique taste which is a combination of grapefruit, mandarin orange and lemon. This fruit has a strong taut aroma quite stronger than the one of lemon. Generally speaking, this fruit grows larger than a mandarin orange and smaller than a grapefruit.
Once the fruit is fully ripened, the skin becomes soft and lumpy making it easy to peel. However, this fruit is super sour and not all people can eat it which is why it’s mainly used as a juice extract or zest. The juice of this fruit is concentrated and you’ll need only a few drops of it to your water. However, aside from making your water more refreshing and tastier, yuzu juice can also be used for other purposes. But before knowing that, you should seriously take into account its plethora of benefits.
Nutritional Benefits of Yuzu Concentrate
Just like any other citrus fruit, this one is also loaded with vitamin C, however, yuzu juice contains health-promoting bioactive compounds like tannins, carotenoids and flavonoids. This healthy juice also contains magnesium, manganese and potassium. Studies show that the juice of this fruit can suppress inflammation in the body and can relieve and minimise the symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease and asthma.
This citrus fruit is also full of antioxidants that can protect you from many diseases including cancer. Yuzu also seems to be great in protecting your body against the formation of excessive blood clots which is of vital importance for people who are at higher risk of stroke and heart diseases. This type of fruit juice may guard you against dementia and it may decrease any tension, stress and anger you might be feeling.
In other words, this refreshing juice can help your body relax. This on the other hand will improve your mood and productivity, so you should make yourself the practice of drinking water with a few drops of yuzu concentrate. The juice of this fruit is also high in citric acid which seems great in preventing the formation of kidney stones.
What’s the Difference Between Yuzu and Lemon
Although quite similar at first, lemon and Yuja fruit are quite different. Firstly, the skin of the Yuja fruit is lumpier and much thicker than the one of lemon. When compared, the texture of lemon is much finer. When it comes to the seeds, the ones of Yuja fruit are larger than the ones of lemon. When it comes to extracting the juice, the one that comes from Yuja fruit is less which explains its higher price. When comparing the juice itself, when you buy yuzu juice you can taste its bitterness and sourness, just like the one of a grapefruit. This isn’t the case with lemon even though it’s also considered tart and sour.
How to Use the Juice of Yuja Fruit?
Starting your day with water refreshed with a few drops of this juice is excellent, but have you thought that this juice can also be used in food? Just like lemon, this juice can provide acid and depth to any dish, while its zest can certainly bring a little zing and fragrance. So, the next time in the kitchen, you can add a few drops of this refreshing juice while preparing a cocktail, a marinade, a vinaigrette or even a dessert.
Unlike lemon and lime which are only good for use when ripe, the juice of this type of fruit can be used during all of its stages of maturity. When unripe, the fruit is green and rock-hard and its zest can be used as flavour or garnish for a specific dish. For instance, in Japan, when green, the zest of this fruit is used for making yuzu kosho which is a spicy fermented paste.
Given the fact that the fragrance of this fruit/juice is known for its calming effects, it isn’t strange that yuzu is quite a popular ingredient in aromatherapy. And since this citrus fruit is also high in vitamin C, seeing it is the main ingredient in many anti-ageing and skin whitening and texture-improving skincare products. In fact, Yuja is a quite popular ingredient used in the Korean cosmetic and it usually comes in the form of serum and face creams for evening out the skin tone and getting rid of hyperpigmentation and melasma.
