''Yuja-cha'' () or yuja tea is a traditional Korean tea 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 alternative ...

'' (yuja marmalade). Yuja tea is popular throughout Korea, especially in the winter. This tea is created by curing yuja into a sweet, thick, pulpy syrup. It does not contain caffeine. 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) comprises medical aspects of traditional knowledge that developed over generations within the folk beliefs of various societies, including indigenous peoples, before the ...

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 or ) is a citrus fruit and plant in the family Rutaceae of East Asian origin. Yuzu has been cultivated mainly in East Asia, though recently also in New Zealand, Australia, Spain, Italy, and France. I ...

. 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 oils. 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 of Joseon (15 May 1397 – 8 April 1450), personal name Yi Do (Korean: 이도; Hanja: 李祹), widely known as Sejong the Great (Korean: 세종대왕; Hanja: 世宗大王), was the fourth ruler of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. Initial ...

, who was responsible for the creation of the Korean

Hangul The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, . Hangul may also be written as following South Korea's standard Romanization. ( ) in South Korea and Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea, is the modern official writing system for the Korean language. The le ...

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 Yuzu (''Citrus junos'', from Japanese or ) is a citrus fruit and plant in the family Rutaceae of East Asian origin. Yuzu has been cultivated mainly in East Asia, though recently also in New Zealand, Australia, Spain, Italy, and France. It ...

and

citron The citron (''Citrus medica''), historically cedrate, is a large fragrant citrus fruit with a thick rind. It is said to resemble a 'huge, rough lemon'. It is one of the original citrus fruits from which all other citrus types developed throu ...

are different

citrus fruit ''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering trees and shrubs in the rue family, Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as oranges, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and limes. The genus ''Citrus'' is native to ...

s. In

Sinophone Sinophone, which means " Chinese-speaking", typically refers to an individual who speaks at least one variety of the Chinese language. Academic writers often use the term Sinophone in two definitions: either specifically "Chinese-speaking popula ...

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

pomelo The pomelo ( ), ''Citrus maxima'', is the largest citrus fruit from the family Rutaceae and the principal ancestor of the grapefruit. It is a natural, non-hybrid, citrus fruit, native to Southeast Asia. Similar in taste to a sweet grapefr ...

, not

. The word "" is a result of direct translation from the tea's Korean name.

Benefits

Yuja tea is well known for its health benefits, albeit medically unproven. It is said to have more vitamin C (2.3 times more) than raw lemon juice. The vitamin C in yuja tea allegedly helps the immune system to fight against infections and other diseases/illnesses.

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 in 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 cocktails, spread for toast, or ice cream.

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 The Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) is an organization of the Republic of Korea (South Korea) under the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. It is commissioned to promote the country's tourism industry. The KTO was established in 1962 as a gover ...

, published by Asia Society {{Condiments Condiments Herbal tea Korean tea Traditional medicine Citrus drinks