"MIYAZAKI CITRUS" - A Rare, Sweet and Delicate Japanese Citrus Artisan distilled (Citrus tamurana)

This is a rare oil, produced in very small quantities. 

Citrus tamurana is grown regionally in a small parts Southern Japan. The fragrant fruits are only available for a few weeks each season and are highly prized for their edible white pith and flesh, and to prepare a traditional gourmet dessert described below.

Quality artisan distillation of the whole (organic) fruit, which are locally picked and distilled. The oil has a remarkable sweet yet complex and feelgood fragrance. It feels like a pomelo meeting yuzu with added honey nuances and floral overtones... an olfactive dessert of kinds.

Also called Hyuganatsu, citrus  Tamurana is associated with  “Hyuga,” the ancient name for the Miyazaki Prefecture, and “natsu,” meaning “summer” in Japanese. The citrus was discovered growing as a chance seedling in the Edo period in Miyazaki and is believed to be a hybrid of the yuzu and pomelo. Over time, the fruits were selectively bred to showcase improved flavor, and in the late XIXth century started to be sold

The fruit is averaging 8 to 10 centimeters in diameter and has a round, oval, to slightly ovate shape, sometimes with a bump under the twig, sometimes not.  The rind ripens from green to bright yellow or yellow-orange and is semi-rough, textured, thin, and leathery, covered in many small oil glands. Underneath the surface, there is a thick layer of white, spongy pith that is edible, contributing a sweet, mild flavor. The yellow flesh is aqueous, tender, and succulent. The fruit is very aromatic, releasing scents reminiscent of lemons mixed with grapefruit, and the flesh has a distinct sweet and sour, floral, fruity flavor with moderate acidity and honeyed nuances.

It has vast gourmet applications in cooking, and also the base of a popular gift known as hyuga-no-kaori, a type of wagashi or jelly-like dessert. Hyuga-no-kaori translates to mean “fragrance of hyuga”. The dessert is comprised of the peel candied and hollowed, later filled with a jelly-like mixture flavored with the juice of the citrus. Hyuga-no-kaori is typically gifted in ornate boxes and is given as a symbol of respect.

Hyuga-no-kaori 
box on top, the delicacy below