Yuzu orange

A medium sized, thorny tree with lanceolate leaves with a rounded base and acuminate tip, and small obovoid wings with entire, slightly serrated blade. The fruit is round, flattened, usually with 10 segments, 5-7cm in diameter, with wrinkled, knobbly skin, greeny-yellow when ripe. The flesh is very acidic and also bitter, with large, heavy seeds. This citrus plant is well-known in China and Japan and believed by Swingle to be a hybrid of Ichang papeda and a variety of mandarin. Hybrids of this type have in fact been produced, which are very similar to the yuzu. The yuzu orange is grown sporadically in central and northern China. It is more widely grown in Japan, both for its sour fruit, sometimes used instead of lemon, and as a rootstock for satsuma and other citrus varieties. The yuzu orange can also be used for marmalade, cakes and Yusukosho, a hot, spicy sauce made with the sour fruit rind and green peppercorn. In the areas of origin, it is a popular tradition to bathe in yuzu orange juice during winter solstice.