# Sansho no Tsukudani (Japanese Pepper simmered with soy sauce) ｜ Our Regional Cuisines

**Cuisine Name**: Sansho no Tsukudani (Japanese Pepper simmered with soy sauce)

**Region**: Our Regional Cuisines

## Main Lore Areas
Yabu City Youka-cho Asakura (Asakura ‘Sansho’=Japanese Pepper), Kobe City (Arima ‘Sansho’=Japanese Pepper)

## Main Ingredients Used
Asakura Sansho, Arima Sansho

## History, Origin, and Related Events
Sansho (=Japanese Pepper) is a kind of spices and used in various Japanese cuisines as seasoning. It is said that Sansho was delivered from China in Heian Era (AD794-AD1192) and it was written in many historical records like ‘Gishi Wajinden’ or ‘Kojiki’. Currently Asakura Sansho is dominant in the market, and Arima Sansho can rarely be seen. Sansho is typically cooked as ‘Tsukudani’, simmered with soy sauce, sake and ‘Mirin’ (=sweet rice wine).Asakura Sansho is grown in Yabu City Youka-cho Asakura area. The tree doesn’t have thorns and bears bigger fruits with great fragrance. Its name came from the area grown and the name of powerful regional families in the area. People offered ‘sansho’ to the ‘Bakufu’ (samurai government) in Edo Period. (AD1603-AD1868) Many locals cooked ‘Sansho no Tsukudani’ with Asakura Sansho at home until around 1965, but many manufacturers have started selling one as the demand of spices has increased since around 1975. The dish won the best award at ‘Local specialty recommended by the municipality government’ section of the ‘Local Specialty of the Year’, competition supported by the Cabinet Office and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan, in 2017.Arima Sansho is grown in Arima area. Unlike Asakura Sansho, its brunches have sharp thorns. Its fruits have great fragrance and strong spicy flavor. There are many Japanese dishes named with ‘Arima’ using Arima Sansho, but actually Asakura Sansho is used in most of dishes. Local homes in Arima area kept food culture eating Arima Sansho until around 1965, but now it’s in danger of extinction. It can be because the locals who knew where Arima Sansho trees were didn’t tell anyone where to find ones, so no one could promote about the Sansho to outside of the area. In 2009, however, the project to revive the tradition of Arima Sansho was launched to walk in the Arima area to find wild Sansho trees. Local farmers started to grow Sansho in 2013, and the movement to prevail Arima Sansho is getting active.

## Opportunities and Times of Eating Habits
Asakura Sansho is at its peak of harvest from mid-May to late May. The locals cook the dish during this time. Regarding Arima Sansho, there are three timings in a year to harvest; flowers in the early May, fruits in June and ripen fruits in July-August to make powder Sansho.

## How to Eat
Boil seasonings like soy sauce, sake and ‘Mirin’ (=sweet rice wine). Add ‘Sansho’ (=Japanese pepper), then boil again and simmer until the liquid is almost gone. Served on top of cooked rice, or as a condiment for chilled tofu.

## Efforts for Preservation and Succession
(Outline of traditions, preservation societies, social media use, modern approaches for commercialization etc.)Field specialty product and shipping association in Yabu City collaborates with Osaka University to start ‘Revive our community project”, and develop and sell seasonings and miso using Asakura Sansho.

## Ingredients
- Mizansho (=Unripe Japanese pepper): 500g
- Soy sauce: 1cup (240g)
- Sake: 1／2 cup (100g)
- Mirin(=sweet rice wine): 3／4 cup (180g)
- Sugar: If you add some sweetness

## Recipe
1. 1. [Pre-cook](1)Pick Sansho (=Japanese pepper) fruits with hand, then clean and rinse them. Boil the fruits with plenty of hot water. (About 15mins for young fruits, 30mins for old ones)(2)Soak them into cold water immediately. Keep soaking for a half day with changing water.(3)Drain them on a strainer, and remove liquid with cotton cloth or paper towel. You can divide the fruits into some portions and freeze them to cook whenever you want. (It tastes better than to freeze cooked one.)
2. 2. [How to cook](1)Put Sansho (=Japanese pepper) fruits and seasonings into a pan and heat. Take the lid out when boiling, then simmer a while with weak heat.(2)Warm over sometimes until the liquid is almost gone, and serve. Add sugar if you make it sweeter.How to freeze and storePut a pinch of salt into boiled water, then parboil Sansho fruits for 10 seconds. Drain well, then spread them on a strainer to cool down quickly. Divide into small portions and wrap with plastic wrap and freeze. You can use it for ‘Chirimen Sansho’ (=Dried small sardine with Japanese pepper simmered with soy sauce), simmered fish or salted kelp.

## Provider Information
provider : Hyogo Prefecture Home Cooking Research Group (Makiko Katayose, Kaoru Sakamoto, Harumi Sakuda, Noriko Tanaka, Shinobu Tominaga, Kozue Nakatani, Tomoko Hara, Sachiko Honda)

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