Protected local food
Hezuka Daidai
辺塚だいだい
A rare aromatic citrus native to Hezuka, a once-isolated hamlet in southern Kagoshima. Thin, smooth peel with a lime-like scent and plenty of soft, tart juice.
Key facts
- Registered as a protected name
- 15 December 2017
- Region
- Kyushu & Okinawa
- Official name in Japanese
- 辺塚だいだい
- Official area (in Japanese)
- 鹿児島県肝属郡肝付町、南大隅町
Found only here
The hamlet of Hezuka, on the Osumi peninsula in Kagoshima, is hemmed in by mountains and sea and was long cut off from the outside. This citrus has grown wild there since ancient times. It is a local line, different from the common daidai. To protect it, seedlings may not be taken out of the towns of Kimotsuki and Minamiosumi.
Like a gentle lime
The fruit is smaller than a regular daidai, with a thin, smooth peel and a scent a little like lime. About half its weight is juice, with soft acidity and a gentle, drifting aroma.
How to use it
Squeeze it over grilled fish, sashimi or shochu, or use it in ponzu and dressings, as you would a lime.
Good to know
- It is hard to find outside Kagoshima. Look for fruit and juice at roadside stations on the Osumi peninsula.
- Compare it with Tokushima Sudachi and Kito Yuzu, two other Japanese aromatic citrus.
Questions travellers ask
Is it the same as daidai?
No. It is a separate local citrus from Hezuka, smaller and more lime-like than the common daidai.
Where does it grow?
In Kimotsuki and Minamiosumi towns on the Osumi peninsula, southern Kagoshima.
Where it comes from
More protected foods from the same area
Crafts from the same area
Heritage stories from the same area
Sources
We checked the facts on this page against these sources.