Japanese pepper: the ground husks of a prickly ash berry, lemony and numbing, with less heat than Sichuan pepper. Shaken over grilled eel and yakitori, and part of shichimi.
lemony · numbing · green
Kinds
Ground (kona-zansho)
The everyday form, in small jars.
Green berries (mi-zansho)
Fresh in early summer, or preserved in soy.
Young leaves (kinome)
A spring garnish, slapped between the palms to wake them.