As a fruit, oranges are traditionally associated with Christmas, but this year some people would really like to find a yuzu in their stocking. The Japanese fruit has become so popular and expensive in Britain that people have even started to grow their own.
First used as an exotic ingredient in high-end restaurants, the fruit can now be bought fresh at specialty shops when in season or year round as a juice in major supermarkets. Yuzu tends to be added to powders and sauces in Japan, but in Britain it is often used in place of more common citrus fruits like lemons or limes to accentuate cocktails, desserts and fish dishes.
"Yuzu gets snapped up straight away," said Robin Williams, founder of the Sussex-based Japanese organic farm Nama Yasai (fresh vegetables). Williams first started growing yuzu from seed in 2007 after noticing it was impossible to find in Britain. He believes he remains the only commercial grower of the fruit in the country.
"When I set up the company I looked for things that would be in demand and weren't available, and yuzu ticked that box," he told Kyodo News. Most of the demand for fresh yuzu comes from Japanese chefs in London, he said, although some go to non-Japanese restaurants as well as domestic customers.
