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| Shishito pepper | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Species | Capsicum annuum |
| Origin | Asia |
Shishito pepper (獅子唐辛子,Shishitōgarashi, 꽈리고추) is a popular hotEast Asian pepper variety of the speciesCapsicum annuum.[1]
The pepper is small and finger-long, slender, and thin-walled. Although it turns from green to red upon ripening, it is usually harvested while green. The name refers to the fact that the tip of the chili pepper (唐辛子,tōgarashi) looks like the lion (獅子,shishi) head; inJapanese, it is often abbreviated asshishitō.[2]
About one out of every ten to twenty peppers is spicy.[3][unreliable source?] The occurrence of pungent fruit is induced by such factors as exposure to sunlight,[1] and other environmentalstresses.
The prefectural agricultural testing center atKishigawa, Wakayama stated in 2005 thatcapsaicin forms more easily in hot and dry conditions in the summer, and even experts may not be able to distinguish relative hotness on the same plant.[4]
For cooking, a hole is poked in the pepper beforehand to keep expanding hot air from bursting the pepper. It may be skewered then broiled (grilled), pan-fried in oil, stewed in asoy sauce– anddashi-based liquid, or simply eaten raw in a salad or as a condiment. It is thin-skinned and will blister and char easily compared with thicker-skinned varieties of peppers.[citation needed]
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