Thanks for visiting the Sakura Town Sake Store blog again!
In our last blog, we talked about a typical Japanese fruit, the Japanese plum called Ume.
Ume is a fruit so good for health and beauty that it is said to be the secret to longevity in Japan.
And the umeko we carry at the Sakura Town Sake Store are The plums are soaked in sake for one year, and both taste of the plums and sake are concentrated in the sake.
Today, we would like to share with you a typical Japanese fruit: the YUZU
What is YUZU?
Have you ever heard of the word YUZU?
Yuzu is a yellow fruit belonging to the tangerine family and is a type of citrus fruit, due to its strong acidity, it is not eaten as is.
Instead, the yuzu is wonderfully fragrant, and its peel and juice are used in many foods, drinks, and cosmetics.
Here are some interesting uses for yuzu.
Yuzu Kosho ("Yuzu Pepper")
Yuzu kosho is a paste made by mixing aged chili peppers and yuzu peel with salt. This is the magic seasoning that makes food tastier just by adding it to dishes. It goes well with meat, fish, vegetables, and everything else.
Yuzu kosho is indispensable for nabe (hot pot) in Japan.
The tangy, yet numbing pepper and the sourness of the yuzu are a wonderful accent to the light flavor of nabe.
Yuzu tea
Yuzu tea is a winter drink familiar to Japanese people. It is a paste made by mixing yuzu peel, honey, and sugar.
Put about a tablespoon of yuzu tea in a cup, pour in hot water, and voila! The scent of yuzu is like an aroma that warms both body and heart.
Yuzu Cosmetics
Yuzu has been used not only as an eating ingredient but also as a cosmetic.
The juice and peel of yuzu contain many nutrients. Its vitamin C content is one of the highest among citrus fruits.
The vitamin C-rich yuzu is also good for the skin due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, and the yuzu's aroma has a relaxing effect.
Yuzu hot bath
In Japan, there is a day called "TO-JI", when the days are the shortest and nights are the longest of the year.
On this day, people take a bath with a number of yuzu floating in the bathtub, which is called " Yuzu Yu".
Yuzu Yu is said to promote blood circulation, warm the body and prevent colds, and to have a skin beautifying effect due to the citric acid and vitamin C contained in the peel.
Yuzu takes a long time to bear fruit, so it is also a wish that all the years of hard work will come to fruition.
Yuzu Sake
The refreshing flavor of yuzu spreads in the mouth and is not too sweet, so you can drink as many glasses as you like.
Yuzuko is available at the Sakura Town Sake Store.
The normal squeezing method causes the yuzu to be pressed too hard, which squeezes out the bitterness and edginess contained in the peel.
The brewery places more importance on squeezing good quality juice than on squeezing a large amount of juice, and therefore does not want to squeeze out as much bitterness and bitterness as possible.
Therefore, what is kept in mind is to squeeze softly to the maximum extent possible.
By doing so, more fragrant yuzu juice is extracted.
The fresh yuzu juice is blended with junmai-shu (pure rice sake) brewed with the utmost care, resulting in a yuzu sake that makes the most of the original flavor of the ingredients.
The bitterness accentuates the gentle sweetness, giving it a freshness as if fresh yuzu were locked in the bottle.
The "standard rock" way to drink it, with its well-balanced acidity and sweetness.
The "authentic straight" way to enjoy the aroma of yuzu and the richness of junmai sake.
Light and refreshing "with soda" with a refreshing carbonation
The Junmai sake base has a robust flavor that can be enjoyed in a variety of ways.
We hope you will try it once and enjoy the Japanese favorite, yuzu, in its most delicious way.
See you in the next blog!
