Dear friends,
Yuzu (柚子), one of the most popular Japanese ingredients, is one of my favorite Japanese flavors. The aromatic yuzu flavor is used in Japanese cuisine. Yuzu zest is used to garnish dishes, in addition, to enhancing the flavors. Its juice is used as a seasoning. It is also used for making traditional Japanese sweets and western sweets.
In Japan, people use yuzu for bath time on one particular day called Toji (冬至), the winter solstice, which is the longest night of the year. Traditionally, in the evening, Japanese people simply toss a whole yuzu into their bathwater. It is believed that you can avoid catching a cold and ward off evil spirits by taking the yuzu bath at the winter solstice. The refreshing fragrance of yuzu will instantly lift your mood.
Besides the tradition, when I was young my mother served us a lot of sugared thin-sliced yuzu as a cold remedy on that day. She claimed the yuzu contained much vitamin C which would ward off colds. How delicious it is with a bittersweet taste!
I found yuzu peel sweets at a Japanese sweet shop in NYC. These remind me of my mother's sugared sliced yuzu. This year, Toji is on December twenty-first. I will enjoy my yuzu peel sweets with matcha.
If you find yuzu, please try some. Once you taste it, you may never forget the refreshing aroma. Please stay healthy all winter. I hope you all enjoy the longest night.