Kabosu

Citrus fruit and plant

This article is about the fruit. For the dog, see Kabosu (dog).

Kabosu

Scientific classification
Kingdom:  | Plantae
Clade:  | Tracheophytes
Clade:  | Angiosperms
Clade:  | Eudicots
Clade:  | Rosids
Order:  | Sapindales
Family:  | Rutaceae
Genus:  | Citrus
Species:  |

C. sphaerocarpa

Binomial name
Citrus sphaerocarpa

Tanaka, nom. nud.[1]

Kabosu (カボス or 臭橙; binomial name: Citrus sphaerocarpa) is a citrus fruit of an evergreen broad-leaf tree in the family Rutaceae.[2] It is popular in Japan, especially Ōita Prefecture,[3] where its juice is used to improve the taste of many dishes, especially cooked fish, sashimi, and hot pot dishes.

## Characteristics

[edit]

Cross-section of a kabosu, with two whole ones for comparison

Kabosu is a citrus fruit closely related to yuzu. Its juice has the sharpness of lemon, and it is used instead of vinegar in some Japanese dishes. It grows on a flowering tree with sharp thorns. The fruit is harvested when still green, but if left to ripen it turns yellow. It is often confused with similar citrus such as sudachi, but can easily be distinguished by the apex of the fruit where the pistil has fallen off, which is a slightly raised torus shape.[citation needed]

## Origin

[edit]

Kabosu is thought to be an ichang papeda – bitter orange hybrid.[citation needed] It was not until the mid-Showa period that "kabosu" was first mentioned in literature. A legend from Usuki, Ōita says that a kabosu seed or sapling was brought to Ōita from Kyoto in the Edo period by a doctor named Sogen, beginning cultivation in the prefecture.[3]

However, as there are kabosu trees that can be found in Ōita Prefecture that are older than those found anywhere else in Japan, kabosu are now thought to be native to the prefecture.[3] In Usuki, there are many 200-year-old trees with some thought to be about 300 years old.[4]

During the 1960s, cultivation of kabosu in Ōita increased and shipments of the fruit to other prefectures began.[5] Production was promoted by the prefecture during the 1970s and sales and shipments continued to grow. This trend continued through the 1980s and 90s, making kabosu known nationwide as an Ōita meibutsu (local speciality).[5]

## Usage

[edit]

Kabosu juice is rich in sourness, with a unique fragrance. It is used with sashimi, grilled fish, ponzu for hot pot, and as a vinegar alternative for Japanese dishes. In Ōita Prefecture it is also used with miso soup, noodles, and shōchū, by adding the juice for flavoring. Squeezing vertically cut radial quarters with the peel side down prevents the seeds from entering the dish or cup while adding the juice. Kabosu juice is used in a wide range of products including condiments, juices, non-alcoholic beverages, frozen desserts, snack foods, wagashi, pastries, and alcoholic beverages.[6][7]

When mixed in fish feed, the polyphenols in kabosu prevent discoloration and odor in fish meat for longer time periods. Japanese amberjack (buri) and Summer flounder (hirame) grown using this feed are marketed as Kabosu Buri and Kabosu Hirame in Ōita Prefecture.[8][9]

## Production

[edit]

In 2018, Ōita Prefecture accounted for about 99% of kabosu production in Japan.[5] It is produced in most areas of the prefecture, particularly Usuki, Taketa, Bungo-Ōno, and Bungotakada.[3] National Japanese production in 2007 was 5,185 tons. Prefecture-specific production volumes that year were 5,019 tons in Ōita Prefecture, 144 tons in Aichi Prefecture, and 17 tons in Miyazaki Prefecture, and volume in the main producing district of Ōita Prefecture was 97% of national production.[10] There are good and bad years for Kabosu production; 2009 was a good year and the volume in Ōita Prefecture was about 6,587 tons.[11] The annual production in Ōita Prefecture was 3,623 tons in 2010,[12] and 5,273 tons in 2011.[13][14]

Kabosu is in season from August to March, but stored kabosu or kabosu grown in greenhouses allow for the fruit to be available year-round.[3]

## Character

[edit]

A kabosu-motif mascot character called Kabotan was created for the National Greening Fair held in Ōita in 2003. The Ōita Kabosu promotion council chose this character as the mascot for "Ōita Kabosu" after the fair.[15] In 2005, Kabotan's use was extended to regional development in general in Ōita Prefecture, even beyond Kabosu production.[16][17]

## See also

[edit]

* Yuukou
* Yuzu
* Jabara (citrus)

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Citrus sphaerocarpa Tanaka, nom. nud". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 25 March 2010.
2. ^ "Kabosu Citrus". www.specialtyproduce.com. Retrieved 2017-01-10.
3. ^ a b c d e "WHAT IS KABOSU | 大分県カボス振興協議会". OITA KABOSU. Retrieved 2024-10-17.
4. ^ "The origin of Kabosu". Ōita Kabosu - Official site. The Ōita Kabosu promotion council. Archived from the original on 19 January 2020. Retrieved 16 August 2014.
5. ^ a b c "かぼすについて | 大分県カボス振興協議会". OITA KABOSU (in Japanese). Retrieved 2024-10-17.
6. ^ Pask, Katie (July 4, 2021). "We try Oita Prefecture's citrus-y creation in Starbucks Japan's 47 Jimoto Frappuccinos". SoraNews24. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
7. ^ "カボス加工品". 大分県カボス振興協議会. Archived from the original on 19 December 2019. Retrieved 12 July 2024.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
8. ^ Kabosu mixed feed delays discoloration of Japanese amberjack meat \- Ōita Press 30 December 2009
9. ^ Kabosu induced feed improves taste of Japanese amberjack and fluke \- Ōita Press 12 June 2010
10. ^ "2007 annual specialty fruit production white paper". e-stat.go.jp. Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications Statistics Bureau of Japan. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
11. ^ "2009 Kabosu production in Ōita". e-stat.go.jp. Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications Statistics Bureau of Japan. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
12. ^ "2010 Kabosu production in Ōita". e-stat.go.jp. Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications Statistics Bureau of Japan. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
13. ^ "Statistics for Ōita Prefecture". stat.go.jp. Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications Statistics Bureau of Japan. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
14. ^ "2011 Kabosu production in Ōita". e-stat.go.jp. Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications Statistics Bureau of Japan. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
15. ^ "Kabotan". Ōita Kabosu - Official Site. The Ōita Kabosu promotion council. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
16. ^ Application for trademark registration of "Kabotan" Archived 2013-06-17 at the Wayback Machine \- Ōita Prefecture
17. ^ "2001 Kabosu memory". Ōita Kabosu. Ōita Kabosu - Official site. Archived from the original on 5 April 2016. Retrieved 15 August 2014.

## External links

[edit]

* Ōita Kabosu - Official site

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* t
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Citrus

True species|

* Australian and Papuan wild limes group
* Citron
* Ichang papeda
* Kaffir lime
* Kumquats group
* Mandarin orange
* Mangshanyegan
* Mountain citron
* Pomelo
* Ryukyu mandarin

Major hybrids|

* Grapefruit
* Lemon
* Lime
* Orange (sweet orange)

True and hybrid
cultivars|

* Alemow
* Amanatsu
* Assam lemon
* Bergamot orange
* Bizzarria
* Bitter orange
* Blood lime
* Blood orange
* Byeonggyul
* Biasong
* Cam sành
* Cara Cara navel orange
* Citrange
* Citrumelo
* Citrus taiwanica
* Clementine
* Coorg orange
* Daidai
* Dekopon
* Encore
* Fairchild tangerine
* Florentine citron
* Forbidden fruit
* Ginger lime
* Haruka
* Hassaku
* Hebesu
* Heen naran
* Hyuganatsu
* Imperial lemon
* Indian wild orange
* Iyokan
* Jabara
* Jaffa orange
* Jamaican tangelo
* Kabbad
* Kabosu
* Kaji Nemu
* Kakadu lime
* Kalpi
* Kanpei
* Kawachi bankan
* Key lime
* Khasi papeda
* Kinkoji unshiu
* Kinnow
* Kishu mikan
* Kiyomi
* Kobayashi mikan
* Koji
* Komikan
* Laraha
* Lemonade fruit
* Limón de Pica
* Lumia
* Mandelo
* Mandora
* Melanesian papeda
* Melogold
* Meyer lemon
* Micrantha
* Midknight Valencia Orange
* Murcott
* Myrtle-leaved orange tree
* Nagpur orange
* Nasnaran
* New Zealand grapefruit
* Ōgonkan
* Orangelo/Chironja
* Oroblanco
* Palestinian sweet lime
* Persian lime
* Pixie mandarin
* Pompia
* Ponderosa lemon
* Ponkan
* Rangpur
* Reikou
* Rhobs el Arsa
* Rough lemon
* Samuyao
* Sanbokan
* Satsuma mandarin
* Setoka
* Shangjuan
* Shonan Gold
* Smith Red Valencia
* Sudachi
* Suruga yuko
* Sweet lemon
* Sweet limetta
* Tangelo
* Tangerine
* Tangor
* Tsunonozomi
* Valencia orange
* Variegated pink lemon
* Volkamer lemon
* Winged lime
* Xã Đoài orange
* Yūkō
* Yuzu

Citrons|

* Balady citron
* Corsican citron
* Diamante citron
* Fingered citron/Buddha's hand
* Greek citron
* Moroccan citron
* Yemenite citron

Mandarin oranges|

* Cleopatra mandarin
* Shīkwāsā
* Nanfengmiju
* Tachibana
* Willowleaf orange

Papedas|

* Celebes papeda
* Mountain "citron"
* Ichang papeda

Pomelos|

* Banpeiyu
* Dangyuja

Kumquats group|

| Kumquat species|

* Hong Kong kumquat
* Meiwa kumquat
* Oval kumquat
* Round kumquat
* Jiangsu kumquat
* Malayan kumquat

|

Kumquat hybrids
(× Citrofortunella)|

* Calamansi
* Citrangequat
* Limequat
* Mandarinquat
* Procimequat
* Sunquat
* Yuzuquat

Australian
and Papuan
wild limes group|

| Eromocitrus
(former genera)|

* Desert lime

|

Microcitrus
(former genera)|

* New Guinea wild lime
* Australian round lime
* Russell River lime
* Maiden's wild lime
* Mount White lime
* Australian finger lime
* Brown River finger lime

Clymenia
(former genera)|

* Clymenia platypoda
* Clymenia polyandra

Oxanthera
(former genera)|

* Orange-flowered oxanthera
* Large-leaf oxanthera
* Wavy-leaf oxanthera
* Oxanthera brevipes

Related genera
(perhaps
properly Citrus)|

* Poncirus/Trifoliate orange

Drinks|

* Calamansi juice
* Chūhai
* Dried lime tea (noomi basra)
* Grapefruit juice
* Lemon liqueur
* Cedratine
* Curaçao
* Limoncello
* Lemonade
* Mint lemonade
* Swiss lemonade
* Lime cordial
* Limeade
* Orange juice
* Triple sec
* Yuja-hwachae
* Yuja tea

Products|

* Calcium citrate
* Citric acid
* Chenpi
* Dried lime
* Lemonene
* Limonene
* Marmalade
* Neroli
* Oleo saccharum
* Orange flower water
* Orange oil
* Orange oil tires
* Orangeat
* Pickled lime
* Chanh muối
* Preserved lemon
* Succade
* Zest
* Twist

Diseases|

* Black spot
* Canker
* CTV/Tristeza
* Exocortis
* Greening
* Mal secco
* Phytophthora
* citricola

Citrus botanists|

* Clara H. Hasse
* Robert Willard Hodgson
* Lena B. Smithers Hughes
* David Mabberley
* Clément Rodier
* Robert Soost
* Walter Tennyson Swingle
* Chōzaburō Tanaka
* Ikuro Takahashi
* Johann Christoph Volkamer
* Herbert John Webber

Citrus production|

* Citrus rootstock
* Kumquat production in China
* Lemon Capital of the World
* Lime production in Mexico
* Orange production in Brazil

Related topics|

* The Citrus Industry
* Citrus taxonomy
* Cold-hardy citrus
* Hesperidium
* Japanese citrus
* List of citrus fruits
* Mother Orange Tree
* Orangery
* University of California Citrus Experiment Station
* University of California, Riverside Citrus Variety Collection

* Category
* Production
* Commons

Taxon identifiers

Citrus sphaerocarpa|

* Wikidata: Q151555
* BOLD: 446241
* GRIN: 314378
* iNaturalist: 1133830
* NCBI: 650012
* Open Tree of Life: 492314

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