| Zanthoxylum piperitum | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Sapindales |
| Family: | Rutaceae |
| Genus: | Zanthoxylum |
| Species: | Z. piperitum |
| Binomial name | |
| Zanthoxylum piperitum | |
Zanthoxylum piperitum, also known asJapanese pepper orJapanese prickly-ash, is a deciduous aromatic spiny shrub or small tree of the citrus and rue familyRutaceae, native to Japan and Korea.
It is calledsanshō (山椒) in Japan andchopi (초피) in Korea. Both the leaves and fruits (peppercorns) are used as aromatics and flavorings in these countries. It is closely related to the ChineseSichuan pepper, which comes from plants of the same genus.
"Japanese pepper"Z. piperitum[1][2] is calledsanshō (山椒; 'mountain pepper') in Japan,[3] but the correspondingcognate term inKorean,sancho (산초) refers to a different species:Z. schinifolium,[a][4] known asinuzanshō or'dog sansho' in Japan.[5]
In Korea,Z. piperitum is calledchopi (초피).[b][4][6] However, in several regional dialects, notablyGyeongsang dialect, it is also calledsancho (산초) orjepi (제피).
"Japanese prickly-ash" has been used as the standard American common name.[7][8]
The varietyZ. piperitum var.inerme Makino, known in Japan asAsakura zanshō[9] are thornless, or nearly so, and have been widely cultivated for commercial harvesting.[10][11]
TheformaZ. piperitum f.pubsescens (Nakai) W. T. Lee, is calledteol chopi (털초피) in Korea, and is assigned the English name "hairy chopi".[4]
Its natural range spans fromHokkaido toKyushu in Japan,[12] southern parts of theKorean peninsula,[13] and Chinese mainland.[11]
The plant belongs to the citrus and rue family,Rutaceae.[14]
The tree blooms in April to May, formingaxillary flower clusters, about 5mm, and yellow-green in color. It isdioecious,[15] and the flowers of the male plant can be consumed ashana-sanshō, while the female flowers yield berries or peppercorns of about 5mm. In autumn, these berries ripen, turning scarlet and burst, scattering the black seeds within.[11]
The branch grows pairs of sharp thorns and hasodd-epinnately compound leaves,[15] alternatelyarranged, with 5〜9 pairs of ovateleaflets[15] havingcrenate (slightly serrated) margins.
It is a host plant for the Japanese indigenousswallowtail butterfly species, the citrus butterflyPapilio xuthus, which has alsospread toHawaii.[16]
Chemical analysis has revealed that the seeds contain remarkably high concentrations of sugar-modified derivatives (glucosides) of N-methylserotonin and N,N-dimethylserotonin, also known asbufotenin.[17]
InJapan,Wakayama Prefecture boasts 80% of domestic production.[18]Aridagawa, Wakayama produces a specialty variety calledbudō sanshō ('grape sansho'), which bears large fruits and clusters, rather like abunch of grapes.[18] The thornless variety,Asakura sansho, derives its name from its place of origin, the Asakura district in the now defunctYokacho [ja], integrated intoYabu, Hyōgo.[13]
The Japanese pepper is closely related to theSichuan pepper of China, and they are in the samegenus.[19]
The pulverized mature fruits ("peppercorns" or "berries") known as "Japanese pepper" orkona-zanshō (粉ざんしょう) are the standard spice for sprinkling onkabayaki-unagi (broiledeel). It is also one of the seven main ingredients of the blended spice calledshichimi, which also contains redchili peppers.[20] Finely ground Japanese pepper,kona-zanshō, is nowadays usually sold in sealed packets, and individual serving sizes are included inside heat-and-serve broiled eel packages.
Young leaves and shoots, pronouncedki-no-mé[20] orko-no-mé[11] (木の芽,lit. 'tree bud') herald the spring season, and often garnish grilled fish and soups. They have a distinctive flavor which is not to the liking of everyone. It is a customary ritual to put a leaf between cupped hands, and clap the hands with a popping sound, this supposedly serving to bring out the aroma.[20] The young leaves are crushed and blended with miso usingsuribachi (mortar) to make a paste, apesto sauce of sorts,[21] and then used to make variousaemono (tossed salad). The stereotypical main ingredient for the resultantkinome-ae is the fresh harvest ofbamboo shoots,[22] but the sauce may be tossed (or delicately "folded") intosashimi, clams, squid or other vegetable such astara-no-me (angelica-tree shoots).
The immature green berries are calledao-zanshō (lit. 'green sansho'),[23] and these may be blanched and salted,[11] or simmered usingsoy sauce into dark-browntsukudani, which is eaten as a condiment.[19] The berries are also available asshoyu-zuke, which is just steeped in soy sauce. The berries are also cooked with small fry fish and flavored with soy sauce (chirimen jako [ja]), a specialty item ofKyoto, since itsMount Kurama outskirts is a renowned growing area of the plant.
There is also a dessert namedkirisanshō [ja], rice cake dessert flavored with ground Japanese pepper. It is a specialty in the north.[8]
In central and northeastern Japan, there is also a non-sticky rice-cake type confection calledgoheimochi, which is basted with miso-based paste and grilled, sometimes using the Japanese pepper as flavor additive to the miso.[24][25] Also being marketed are sansho flavoredarare (rice crackers),[26][27] snack foods, and sweet sansho-mochi.[28][29]
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Both the plant itself and its fruit (or peppercorn), known aschopi (초피), are called by many names includingjepi (제피),jenpi (젠피),jipi (지피), andjopi (조피) in differentdialects used in southern parts ofKorea, where the plant is extensively cultivated and consumed.[30]
Before the introduction of chili peppers from the New World which led to the creation of the chili pastegochujang, the Koreans used ajang paste spiced withchopi and black peppers.[6]
In SouthernKorean cuisine, dried and ground chopi fruit is used as a condiment served with varieties of food, such aschueo-tang (loach soup),maeun-tang (spicy fish stew), andhoe (raw fish).
Young leaves of the plant, calledchopi-sun (초피순), are used as a culinary herb or anamul vegetable in Southern Korean cuisine. The leaves are also eaten pickled asjangajji, pan-fried to makebuchimgae (pancake), or deep-fried asfritters such astwigak andbugak. Sometimes, chopi leaves are added toanchovy-salt mixture to make herbed fish sauce, calledchopi-aekjeot.
InJapan, the thick wood of the tree is traditionally made into a gnarled and rough-hewn wooden pestle (surikogi), to use withsuribachi.[19][10] While sansho woodsurikogi are less common today, they impart subtle flavor to foods ground with them.[8]
In Japanese pharmaceuticals, the mature husks with seeds removed are considered thecrude medicine form ofsanshō. It is an ingredient inbitter tincture [ja], and thetoso wine served ceremonially. The pungent taste derives fromsanshool and sanshoamide. It also contains aromatic oilsgeraniol,dipentene,citral, etc.[9][31]
In southern parts ofKorea, the fruit is traditionally used in fishing. Being poisonous to small fish, a few fruit dropped in a pond make the fish float shortly after.[citation needed]
Citation
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link);PDF file viaKorea Forest ServiceBibliography
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