''Yuja-cha'' () or yuja tea is a

traditional Korean tea Korean tea is a beverage consisting of boiled water infused with leaf, leaves (such as the tea plant ''Camellia sinensis''), roots, flowers, fruits, grains, edible mushrooms, or edible seaweed, seaweed. It may or may not contain tea leaves. Hi ...

made by mixing hot water with ''

yuja-cheong ''Cheong'' () is a name for various sweetened foods in the form of syrups, marmalades, and fruit preserves. In Korean cuisine, ''cheong'' is used as a tea base, as a honey-or-sugar-substitute in cooking, as a condiment, and also as an alternati ...

'' (yuja marmalade). Yuja tea is popular throughout

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

, especially in the winter. This tea is created by curing yuja into a sweet, thick, pulpy syrup. It does not contain

caffeine Caffeine is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant of the methylxanthine chemical classification, class and is the most commonly consumed Psychoactive drug, psychoactive substance globally. It is mainly used for its eugeroic (wakefulness pr ...

. It is often sold in markets in large jars and used as a

home remedy Traditional medicine (also known as indigenous medicine or folk medicine) refers to the knowledge, skills, and practices rooted in the cultural beliefs of various societies, especially Indigenous groups, used for maintaining health and treatin ...

for the common cold. Yuja tea is made from the yuja fruit, which is commonly known outside of Korea as

yuzu Yuzu (''Citrus'' × ''junos'', from Japanese language, Japanese or ; ) is a citrus fruit and plant in the family Rutaceae of China, Chinese origin. Yuzu has been cultivated mainly in East Asia, though it has also recently been grown in New Z ...

. Yuja does not contain much juice, unlike other citrus fruits. They are able to cook in high temperatures without losing their tartness. Yuja have a strong fragrance. Their scent comes from the zest, juices, and

essential oil An essential oil is a concentrated hydrophobic liquid containing volatile (easily evaporated at normal temperatures) chemical compounds from plants. Essential oils are also known as volatile oils, ethereal oils, aetheroleum, or simply as the ...

s. Yuja tea is bittersweet. In addition, yuja tea is a preservative, so it can be left out on a shelf or counter.

History

A man was carrying a shipment of yuja trees from China to Korea until a storm came and hit his boat. The yuja trees were destroyed, but some of the seeds went into the man's coat. As the man continued on Korea's soil, the seeds fell on the ground and grew into yuja trees. Koreans saw the benefits the leaves had and used the yuja leaves for the common cold by crushing it. Because of its bitter taste, they began to preserve the leaves in sugar and honey, which later developed into the yuja tea. King

Sejong Sejong (; 15 May 1397 – 8 April 1450), commonly known as Sejong the Great (), was the fourth monarch of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. He is regarded as the greatest ruler in Korean history, and is remembered as the inventor of Hangul, the n ...

, who was responsible for the creation of the Korean

Hangul The Korean alphabet is the modern writing system for the Korean language. In North Korea, the alphabet is known as (), and in South Korea, it is known as (). The letters for the five basic consonants reflect the shape of the speech organs ...

script, was its greatest advocate.

Names

Occasionally, the term ''yuja-cha'' can also be used to refer to the jarred yuja marmalade used to make the tea. The drink's name is sometimes translated into "citron tea" or "honey citron tea" in English, but yuja and

citron The citron (''Citrus medica''), historically cedrate, is a large fragrant citrus fruit with a thick Peel (fruit), rind. It is said to resemble a 'huge, rough lemon'. It is one of the Citrus taxonomy#Citrons, original citrus fruits from which al ...

are different

citrus fruit ''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering plant, flowering trees and shrubs in the family Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as Orange (fruit), oranges, Mandarin orange, mandarins, lemons, grapefruits, ...

s. In

Sinophone Sinophone, which means "Chinese language, Chinese-speaking", typically refers to an individual who speaks at least one Varieties of Chinese, variety of Chinese (that is, one of the Sinitic languages). Academic writers often use the term Sinophone ...

regions, the tea is referred to as "", but the word in Chinese refers to

pomelo The pomelo ( ; or pummelo, ''Citrus maxima''), also known as a shaddock, is the largest citrus fruit. It is an ancestor of several cultivated citrus species, including the bitter orange and the grapefruit. It is a natural, non-hybrid citrus fr ...

, not yuja. The word "" is a result of direct translation from the tea's Korean name.

Preparation

Yuja tea can be made at home from scratch. The ingredients needed are citrus fruit (can be lemon or grapefruit) or yuja, honey, and sugar. The first step is thoroughly clean the fruits. Next, cut the yuja into thin slices and remove the seeds. Put the yuja slices into a bowl, and mix with the honey and sugar. Lastly, put the mixture in a container and store it in a cool, dark area until the syrup is created (about six months). When ready, stir in 1-2 tablespoon of Yuja tea into hot water. The syrup of the yuja tea is also used in

cocktail A cocktail is a mixed drink, usually alcoholic beverage, alcoholic. Most commonly, a cocktail is a combination of one or more liquor, spirits mixed with other ingredients, such as juices, flavored syrups, tonic water, Shrub (drink), shrubs, and ...

s, spread for toast, or

ice cream Ice cream is a frozen dessert typically made from milk or cream that has been flavoured with a sweetener, either sugar or an alternative, and a spice, such as Chocolate, cocoa or vanilla, or with fruit, such as strawberries or peaches. Food ...

Gallery

File:Bottled yuja-cha.jpg, Bottled ''yuja-cha'' File:Korean yuja tea.jpg, Korean yuja tea

References

External links

Yujacha recipe
from Korea National Tourism Organization, published by

Asia Society The Asia Society is a 501(c)(3) organization that focuses on educating the world about Asia. It has several centers in the United States (Manhattan, Washington, D.C., Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle) and around the world (Hong Ko ...