Yuzu, the coolest fruit you've (maybe) never heard of but you definitely should

May 2, 2016
Yuzu, the coolest fruit you've (maybe) never heard of but you definitely should

Nothing excites our chocolatiers more than funky-cool ingredients.


Take Yuzu. It’s pronounced yoo-zoo and is nearly impossible to describe. Some say the flavour is a tangy mix of lemon, mandarin and grapefruit. Some say it’s more like peach, lemon and lime.


Basically, it’s a citrus that’s 10x better than all the other citrus (citruses? citri?) put together.


Yuzu is a hugely popular citrus in Japan, and you’ll find it used in savoury dishes and desserts. Whole Yuzu fruit or juice is even used in baths as a skin softener. Originally, Yuzu comes from China and rolled into Japan during the Tang Dynasty some 1,000 years ago, where it was used for medicinal purposes and in cooking.


Yuzu is very likely a hybrid of Ichang papeda (a hardy, slow-growing citrus) and sour mandarin. Looks-wise, Yuzu is about as big as a tangerine, with a bumpy yellow-orange rind and tons of seeds inside.


Over in the Western world, Yuzu is gaining popularity (watch your back, lemon!), but it’s not that easy to find yet…which didn’t stop us!


We sourced fabulously tart Yuzu juice, turned it into a fun jelly layer (officially known as pâte de fruits in the business) and combined it with—what else—chocolate. Not just any chocolate. Dark chocolate made with sustainable cocoa.


And that’s the story of how a little-known citrus from Japan inspired our massively popular Yuzu chocolate.


Have you tried it yet?