Citrus sudachi

thumb|upright|Sudachis in cuisine Sudachi (Citrus x sudachi; Japanese: スダチ or 酢橘) is a small, round, green citrus fruit of Japanese origin that is a specialty of Tokushima Prefecture in Japan. Harvested before it fully ripens to yellow, it is tart and not eaten as a table fruit but used to flavor sauces and marinades, desserts, and drinks in place of lemon or lime. Genetic analysis shows it to be the product of a cross between a yuzu and another citrus fruit akin to the koji and tachibana orange.

==General== thumb|left|Sudachi The sudachi has been cultivated for centuries in parts of Japan, and is perhaps nearly as well known as the yuzu in the country. The fruit is the specialty and symbol of the prefecture of Tokushima, which produces 98% of all the fruit grown in Japan. The top producing communities are the township of Kamiyama-cho and the village of Sanagouchi-son; combined, they accounted for almost half of the prefecture's annual production in 2008. The plant has white flowers which bloom in May and June. The fruits form in bunches and are harvested in the fall. Though sudachi fruits will eventually develop a yellow-orange rind color, they are normally harvested and used while still green. They contain large smooth seeds, containing a green polyembryo.