[About Sansho]

It's the season when you can see green sansho berries. Recently, spicy Chinese cuisine has become popular. Japanese and Chinese sansho are used differently, so they may seem a little different, but both are appealing.

Sansho is a deciduous shrub of the citrus family that grows wild in Japan and southern Korea. In Japan, it has been found in mountainous areas since ancient times, primarily in Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu, and cultivation began as early as the Edo period. Today, areas such as Aridagawa Town in Wakayama Prefecture are known as major production centers. In the past, it was commonly grown in mountainous regions for household use, with the leaves and berries used as seasonings or preserved foods. All parts of the plant—leaves, flowers, and berries—are edible, characterized by their distinctive refreshing aroma and a tingling spiciness that lingers on the tongue. In spring, the young leaves are called “kinome” (young sansho leaves). The yellow flowers that bloom in April and May are called “hanazansho” (sansho flowers), followed by green fruits called “aozansho” (green sansho berries), and in autumn, the fruits ripen to a red color and are called “mizansho” (sansho berries). Additionally, the sansho tree is very hard and has a good aroma, so it has been highly valued as a material for high-quality mortar pestles since ancient times.

Its history as a spice is also ancient, with the old name for sansho, “hajikami,” appearing in the Kojiki and Man'yōshū. At that time, “hajikami” referred to a group of spices that were spicy when chewed, such as sansho and ginger, but today the term is used exclusively to refer to ginger.

The “huajiao” used in Chinese Sichuan cuisine is also a plant of the same genus as sansho. In Sichuan Province, where humidity is high and summers are particularly hot and humid, spices that promote sweating and warm the body have come to be widely used. Huajiao is characterized by a numbing sensation on the tongue, and this combination of “ma” (numbing) and ‘la’ (spicy) gave rise to the “ma la” flavor.

On the other hand, sansho is particularly popular in Kyoto, where it is indispensable in Kyoto cuisine, as well as in dishes such as hot pot tofu, miso soup, and chicken and egg rice bowls. Kyoto people's love for sansho is well known, and it is believed to have taken root as a cultural tradition due to the region's high-temperature, high-humidity climate, surrounded by mountains on three sides, the need to mask the smell of fish that was once difficult to obtain, and as a flavor accent for Kyoto cuisine, which prefers light tastes.

Japanese sansho has a fragrant aroma, a refreshing coolness, and a refined numbing sensation. While its use as a seasoning varies, it is evident that taste cultures suited to each region's climate and geography have developed. The spiciness and numbing sensation of sansho are primarily due to a compound called “sanshool,” which is said to have stomach-soothing, intestinal-regulating effects, as well as promoting sweating and blood circulation. It is expected to improve circulation from the inside of the body and alleviate coldness and fatigue. The aromatic components also have a relaxing effect and are said to be helpful for mental and physical adjustment.

This year, I tried making a paste from green sansho berries. I boiled the green sansho berries for about 30 seconds, added a small amount of salt and shochu, and made it into a paste. I also made a paste from the sansho olive oil I prepared last year in the same way. It can be used in various dishes, such as rice and bread. With the refreshing and spicy flavor of green sansho berries, I feel energized and ready to tackle the rainy season and summer.

Koizumi Glass's Shiyakubin
https://www.shokunin.com/en/koizumi/shiyaku.html
Azmaya's Wooden Pestle
https://www.shokunin.com/en/azmaya/surikogi.html
Yamatada Katoen's JUJU mortier Mortar
https://www.shokunin.com/en/yamatada/suribachi.html

References
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/サンショウ
https://himitsu.wakasa.jp/contents/japanese-pepper/
https://magokoro-care-shoku.com/column/food-poisoning-prevention-sansho
https://www.creema-springs.jp/projects/zanshop
https://weathernews.jp/s/topics/202106/110265/
https://www.medicalherb.or.jp/archives/4112
https://hashizumen.shop/blogs/noodle-note/sichuan