Korean Yuja Cha (Yuzu Citron Tea)

Make the Yuja Chung

1. Slice the yuja fruits thinly and quarter them. Leave the peel intact but remove the seeds.

2. In a large bowl, dissolve the honey in the warm water, making a thick syrup.

3. Add the yuja fruit slices to the honey mixture, mixing to combine to make the yuja chung (yuja marmalade).

4. Keep in a closed container at room temperature for one day and then store in the refrigerator.

Make the Yuja Tea

1. To make tea, dissolve 1 spoonful of yuja chung into hot water.

2. When you drink the tea, you also eat the bits and pieces of yuja fruit and rind that come your way.

About Yuja Fruit

Yuja may be a hybrid of the sour mandarin and the Ichang papeda, a form of citrus fruit that's native to southwest and west-central China. The yuja fruit normally grows to about the size of a small orange, although some of the largest yuja fruits can reach the size of a small grapefruit. They're very aromatic, with a distinctly tart citrus odor. When you cut into a yuja, you'll find it contains a very acidic and dry pulp.

According to the Korea Tourism Organization, yuja cha originated well before the 13th century. King Sejong the Great, who presided over Korea in the 1400s, was its most famous advocate.