Sansho powder - Sanshō no kona

This finely ground, light green sanshō or sansho pepper—sanshō-no-kona or 七味唐辛子—is of superior quality. It is ground authentically using a millstone at the Kaneichi family business.

No longer available. Since 2024, the price of sansho has risen dramatically, and the number of suppliers has increased. Sansho from Japanese soil has shrunk significantly, and the supply is limited. Consumer prices of the equivalent Prices of €1,800 and higher (!) per kilogram are no longer unusual for stone-ground sansho. The purchase price has risen again by 40% in the past six months. Therefore, we have put sansho sales on hold, pending increased supply and more reasonable prices. We are sorry.

Kaneichi Since the late nineteenth century, the company has been producing and processing sanshō, the Japanese pepper. Grinding is traditionally done in successive passes, from coarse to (very) fine.

Sanshō is related to the Chinese Szechuan pepper and the Nepalese timur, but unlike these two siblings from the Zanthoxylum genus, the leaves, flowers, and shoots of the sanshō tree are also eaten. Incidentally, sanshō means mountain pepper.

Sanshō pepper is believed to have been used as a spice for thousands of years, although conclusive evidence for this is lacking. During the Nara era in the 8th century, it was called naruhajika and used as a medicine to treat diarrhea. Its primary use as a medicine continued for a long time. It was not until the Kamakura era (1185 to 1333 AD) that samurai reportedly used it again as a spice during hunting. Unagi, a dish of freshwater eel with sanshō pepper, dates back to that period.

It is now a prominent spice, even one of the few spices used in Japanese cuisine. The unripe green berries are called sanshō-no-mi. These are sharper and more aromatic than red sanshō. The first green sanshō appear on the market starting in May, the red ones in October. Sansho powder is therefore made during the summer months.

One of the first preparations using sanshō is described in the 15th-century Okusa cookbook. It's an eel dish, sprinkled with very finely ground sanshō. Since then, eel in Japan has always been prepared with sanshō, or in extreme cases, with shichimi tõgarashi (seven-spice powder).

Our sanshō peppers are cultivated—not wild—and come from Wakayama, the beating sanshō heart of Japan since the late 19th century. They are grown by the fourth generation of the Kaneichi, a family-owned company founded in 1880 by Yamamoto Katsunosuke, is considered the finest "house." The seeds are removed before grinding, hence the beautiful green color.

The unique sharpness experience of sanshol

Characteristic of all Zanthoxylum peppers, and therefore also of sanshō, is the tingling sensation you experience on the tip of your tongue due to a substance in the pepper called sanshool, named after the Japanese spice. The pungency is caused by the amides in the peel of the fruit: α-, β-, γ-, and δ-sanshool, α-hidroxy sanshool, and β-hidroxy sanshool. The numbing effect is primarily caused by γ sanshool and α-hidroxy sanshool. The amount of α-hidroxy sanshool in the berries can amount to (well over) 50‰ of the dry weight, while γ sanshool accounts for around 5‰.

The tingling sensation is accompanied by a slight numbness, jokingly compared to tasting a 9-volt battery. A single berry is enough to experience that! This somatosensation, stimulation by touch, has been used for centuries as an anesthetic in traditional Asian medicine. Its effects are very complex and the subject of extensive research.Hydroxy-α-sanshol in particular is said to cause the tingling sensation, and there are certain parallels with the pungency experienced with capsaicin, the pungent substance in chili peppers, but also with menthol and mustard oil.

Smell and taste

Sanshō is a member of the citrus family, which you experience in its aroma, a blend of grapefruit, lemon, lemongrass, and rosewood. In between, you taste and smell – very faintly – mint. Characteristic of all Zanthoxylum peppers, and therefore also of sanshō, is the tingling sensation you experience on the tip of your tongue from a substance in the pepper called sanshool, named after the Japanese spice.

• linalyl acetate, responsible for a pleasant citrus, bergamot and lavender scent,
• limonene, the scent of lemon peel,
• citral, the scent of grapefruit,
• geraniol, rose scent,
• geranyl acetate, lavender fragrance.
• β-pinene, pine resin, and
• linalool, responsible for the scents of rosewood and coriander

A ripe berry contains significantly more linalool, geraniol, and geranyl acetate than a green berry. The aromas develop during ripening.

Combinations

Ground sanshō pepper pairs perfectly with citrus (kafir leaf, yuzu, or lemongrass), chocolate (dessert), mango, and strawberry. Definitely try it with fish tartare, squid, eel (unagi), and shellfish (scallops), but also with yakitori (grilled chicken), beef tartare, and carpaccio. Making your own mayonnaise? Try adding a little sanshō powder. It'll make it even richer. Delicious with smoked dishes, from sausages to salmon (danobe), with fried chicken, and as a dip for (raw) vegetables. If you don't make your own mayonnaise, try Japanese Kewpie instead.

Mixed with salt, sanshō no kona is also an excellent seasoning for tempura.

Features:

• 100% unripe fruit of the Zanthoxylum piperitum (sanshō)
• cut m.b.vmillstone
  
• origin: Wakayama, Japan
  

Assortment - subject to change -

• available in glass and stand-up pouch
• glass jar contains 60 grams
• stand-up pouches with a capacity of up to 15 to 150 grams
• larger quantities on request

Gift wrapping

• The jar is available in a tasteful gift packaging, consisting of a cube box filled with black tissue paper.
• For an overview of our gift packaging, please refer to the gift packaging section.

General advice

• sanshō powder is a product for refined cuisine, can be used both cold and hot in savoury and sweet preparations
  
• definitely do not cook the powder, it loses its wonderful flavor
  

Save:

• store your sansho powder in a closed container
• preferably store in a dark, dry and cool place
• best before June 2024 (06/24)
• This expiration date is an indication

Stock item

Due to serious delivery problems, our stock is (almost) out of stock. We are currently awaiting positive news from Japan. If you would like to be kept informed, please let us know. s.v.pto know.