From Marmalade to Martinis: Yuzu Flavour is Everywhere
Recent Posts
Categories
Yuzu Is Having a Moment
Not long ago, yuzu was a word you would mostly hear whispered in Japanese kitchens or tucked away on the menu of an ambitious London restaurant. Now it is everywhere. From marmalades at Fortnum & Mason to chilled sodas in Tokyo, this bright, aromatic citrus fruit has found its moment.
At the World Marmalade Awards in Cumbria, a homemade yuzu and pear preserve took top honours, beating out thousands of more traditional entries. Starbucks Japan has launched a Chillax Yuzu Soda, offering a gentler, more fragrant alternative to sugary soft drinks. Meanwhile, the New York Times is predicting an even broader future for Japan’s diverse citrus fruits, with yuzu leading the charge. In the US, Better Homes & Gardens has announced the launch of a ready-to-drink Yuzu Matcha Martini, blending sharpness and earthiness in a way that feels both refreshing and quietly luxurious.
This is more than a passing trend. Yuzu’s rise taps into something deeper, a hunger for flavours that feel both new and deeply rooted, natural yet exciting.
What Is Yuzu?
Yuzu is a citrus fruit with a character all of its own. Somewhere between a lemon, a grapefruit and a mandarin, it smells brighter than any of them and tastes sharper too. You will find it in Japanese cooking where it brings a lift to broths, marinades and dipping sauces. A little yuzu goes a long way. Its zest is prized for the intense perfume it releases, while the yuzu juice offers a sourness that feels rounder and more floral than a straight lemon squeeze.
It is not the kind of fruit you bite into, but in the right hands, it transforms everything it touches. From sorbets to savoury sauces, it leaves a signature that is unmistakable and increasingly in demand.
Yuzu’s Rise: From Local Treasure to Global Star
You could say yuzu’s story is one of slow, steady discovery. In Japan, it has always been woven into daily life — floated in hot baths during the winter solstice to ward off illness, folded into sauces to lift the richness of grilled meats, preserved in honey to stir into hot water on cold days.
Outside Japan, it is only recently that chefs and brands have started to understand just how versatile this fruit can be. When a humble jar of yuzu marmalade wins the world’s top prize, as it did at Dalemain this year, or when Starbucks designs an entire soda range around its flavour, it shows how far yuzu has come.
It is not just about taste, either. Yuzu speaks to the values shaping what we want to eat and drink now: seasonality, natural ingredients, real stories. It has become shorthand for craft, for care, for flavour that feels alive.
Where Yuzu Is Showing Up Now
Yuzu is no longer hiding in specialist grocers. It is appearing in bakeries where it sharpens the sweetness of pastries, cheesecakes and chocolates. A drizzle of yuzu glaze on a cake can make a familiar sponge feel entirely new.
In drinks, yuzu is offering a softer citrus note for craft sodas, sparking up martinis, and giving non-alcoholic cocktails a clean, refreshing edge. Its natural tartness and floral aroma work just as well with hot tea as with an icy spritz.
Savoury cooking has long been yuzu’s home ground. You will find it stirred into ponzu sauces and fiery yuzu kosho pastes, ready to brighten soups, noodles and roasted meats. Even beyond the plate, beauty brands are turning to yuzu for its antioxidant properties, bottling it into skincare aimed at bringing the same freshness to the skin as it does to a dish.
It is this quiet adaptability, slipping across categories without losing its identity, that makes yuzu a true ingredient of the moment.
Sourcing and Market Opportunity
Growing yuzu is not easy. The trees take years to mature and are particular about where they thrive. Most of the world’s yuzu still comes from Japan, especially the regions of Shikoku and Kyushu, though small-scale cultivation is growing in Korea and parts of Europe.
Fresh yuzu remains seasonal, usually harvested from late autumn through winter. In Japan, the fruit's arrival is marked by the traditional yuzuyu bath at the winter solstice, a ritual believed to protect against colds and bring luck for the year ahead. In Korea, preserved yuzu finds its way into yuja-cha, a warming yuzu tea made by stirring slices of yuzu preserved in honey into hot water.
Because supply is limited, most yuzu used outside Asia comes in the form of juice, zest or purees. For brands, this creates an opportunity. Yuzu offers not just a rare and distinctive flavour, but a link to traditions, stories, and seasons — qualities that consumers are actively looking for.
With interest in global ingredients rising, and a growing preference for natural, sensory experiences over artificial sweetness, yuzu is perfectly placed to shape the next generation of flavour innovation.
In a crowded marketplace, yuzu stands out without shouting.
It offers sharpness without harshness, sweetness without stickiness, a fragrance that is both bright and lingering.
For makers looking to bring something real and refreshing to their next product launch — whether that is a bakery item, a craft beverage, or something less expected — yuzu is an ingredient worth exploring.
At Uren, we are proud to supply premium yuzu flavouring solutions, sourced carefully to deliver the authentic aroma, acidity and balance that make yuzu so special.
Speak to our experts and discover how you can bring a little of that natural brilliance into your next creation.
