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Kabosu
Citrus sphaerocarpa · Citrus
40 pairings
Kabosu (Citrus sphaerocarpa) is a round, deep-green Japanese citrus picked while still unripe and valued almost entirely for its mild, fragrant, sour juice rather than its flesh. A speciality of Ōita Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, it is squeezed over grilled fish, fugu, hot-pot dishes and sashimi, stirred into ponzu and dressings, and splashed into shōchū — bringing a softer, rounder, less aggressive acidity than lemon or lime, with a gentle floral-citrus perfume.
Picking a good onedrag
Deep green, heavy, oil-tightYellow, light, shrivelled
Shop greenThe all-rounder: ponzu, dressings, hot-pot, shōchū.Everyday best
RindGreen, a yellow cast at the blossom end
Weight in handHeavy, the rind gives a little under the thumb
Stem endCalyx paling, still tight to the fruit
Scratched peelScent comes when a thumb is rubbed warm over it
What to look for, from deep green, heavy, oil-tight to yellow, light, shrivelled.
What one gives you
100 g
Typical weight
one specimen
Keeping ittap a band
A domestic fridge holds it about 3× longer than the counter.
Humidity
90–95%
Oita bags the crop in polyethylene for a reason: bare, the peel loses water, and a kabosu gone light and slack has yellowed with it.
Airflow
Loose bag, not sealed
Loose-bagged or perforated, never sealed damp: shut tight the calyx sweats and stem-end rot works down into the fruit.
Green rind yellows beside apples
It makes almost none itself, but green citrus is degreened commercially with ethylene, so the gas off apples and bananas pulls the green out of the rind.