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Sanshou – intense spice
Sanshou is a spice derived from the berry of the plant "Prickly Ash" and is also known as Japanese pepper - although incorrectly, as Sanshou is not actually a pepper. Other names for Sanshou are Korean pepper, Szechuan pepper or Chopi (as Sanshou is called in Korean cuisine).
The Sanshou berry is dark green, but in ground form, Sanshou has a brownish color. Sanshou has a strong, distinctive flavor. It tastes earthy and very spicy, but also has a faint mint and lemon note. Sanshou is slightly toxic and therefore numbs the tongue, but at the same time stimulates all the receptors in the mouth. Therefore, Sanshou has a great influence on the taste of the spiced dishes.
Sanshou is grown and produced in Wakayama Prefecture. It is a very old spice. It is mostly sold as a powder, but you can also buy the whole berry and grind it yourself. The flavor is then naturally more intense, as is the case with pepper.
Cooking with Sanshou
Sanshou is used in fatty dishes, but also to refine grilled chicken and eel - Sanshou is an ideal spice for eel in particular, because it mitigates the strong natural smell of the eel. Sanshou is also popular for noodle dishes. Yakitori is often eaten - these are small pieces of grilled chicken seasoned with Sanshou.
Sanshou is also used in spice blends, for example in Shichimi Togarashi (known abroad as Nanami togarashi). It consists of Sanshou, chili and other spices and is used to refine noodle dishes, meat and fish.
Finally, the leaves of the Sanshou plant are also often used as "Kasari", ie a garnish for dishes.
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