Sansho Japanese Pepper Berries and Kinome

Japan — native plant throughout Japan's mountains; documented culinary use from at least the Nara period; particularly associated with unagi kabayaki, miso-ae dressings, and spring kaiseki presentations

Sansho (山椒, Japanese pepper, Zanthoxylum piperitum) is Japan's native spice — the small berries of the Japanese prickly ash produce a complex, multi-sensory experience unlike any other spice: intense citrus-pine aroma, a tingling, numbing sensation on the tongue (from hydroxy-alpha-sanshool), and a refreshing, almost mentholated coolness that follows the initial buzz. The berries are used fresh (mi-zanshō, the berry before it dries), dried and ground (kona-zanshō, the standard table spice for unagi kabayaki, yakitori, and soups), pickled in soy (mi-zanshō no tsukuda-ni), and fresh young leaf buds (kinome) as the most aromatic spring garnish in Japanese cuisine.

Complex, multi-sensory: intense citrus-pine aroma, initial heat, prolonged tingling-numbing sensation, refreshing mentholated finish — one of the most distinctive and uniquely Japanese flavour experiences