Description of pepper zanthoxylum, calorie content, chemical composition and beneficial properties. Potential harm from eating Japanese pepper. How the seasoning is made, what dishes can be cooked with it. Interesting facts about the plant. The valuable properties of zanthoxylum are provided by a complex of essential oils, which contains 33 separate chemical components. Basic: limonene - 31, 09%, terpinen-4-ol - 13, 94%, sabinene - 9, 13%. And also there is linalool, citral, citronellal and others.
It is to these substances that Japanese pepper owes a very interesting characteristic aroma in notes, which at the same time resembles the smell of spices, dry basil, cinnamon and garlic. In some types of spices, the aroma of anise predominates.
Useful properties of Japanese pepper
Oriental healers have noticed the benefits of the fruits of zanthoxylum pepper for the body, and now all parts of the plant are widely used in traditional and alternative medicine. The plant is even called the dental tree for its quick treatment of toothache, periodontal disease and periodontitis. It is enough to roll peppercorns in your mouth or chew a leaf, and the pain will recede, and the inflammatory process on the gums will begin to pass.
Useful properties of pepper zanthoxylum:
- Increases concentration and memory function;
- Normalizes the psychophysical state, eliminates panic attacks, attacks of hysteria, insomnia, has a sedative effect;
- Isolates free radicals in the bloodstream and accelerates natural elimination;
- Strengthens the walls of blood vessels and prevents the accumulation of cholesterol;
- Has a pronounced antimicrobial and antiseptic effect;
- Relieves painful sensations;
- Stimulates the production of digestive enzymes and bile;
- Accelerates digestion processes, has a carminative effect;
- Improves expectoration of phlegm;
- Strengthens bone tissue and prevents the development of osteoporosis;
- Increases the body's defenses;
- Tones up and improves performance.
Japanese pepper was once used to treat cholera and dysentery.
Harm to the fruits of pepper zanthoxylum
Since the seasoning increases the secretion of digestive enzymes and stimulates the secretion of bile, you should stop using it in case of exacerbation of peptic ulcer disease, with mechanical damage to the esophagus and stomatitis.
Contraindications to the use of Japanese pepper are as follows:
- Pregnancy, 1st and 3rd trimester, so as not to provoke a miscarriage or premature birth;
- Diverticulitis, due to the ability to provoke painful spasms;
- Gallstone disease, due to the high risk of calculus coming out into the bile ducts.
It is very important to observe the dosage of the seasoning indicated in the recipes. If you abuse the spice, then you can face the harm of Japanese pepper and instead of pleasure after eating, unpleasant numbness will be felt in the mouth for a long time.
How Japanese pepper is made
The crop is harvested after the seeds have ripened, cutting them off together with twigs and inflorescences. The consumer can be offered Japanese pepper in this form or further processing.
Half-open peppercorns are manually removed from the stems and packaged for sale. In the future, the pepper is pounded at home.
Some housewives prefer to purchase an already crushed product without a peel. It should be borne in mind that the shelf life of such a seasoning is reduced from a year to 6 months.
In an industrial setting, pepper is processed by hand, removing the inner part of the grain, and ground into a powder aromatic tough pods. They are actually Japanese pepper. If the inside is not removed, the taste will be too bitter.
You can also purchase canned food, pepper paste, pepper mixes with salt or other spices.
Pepper Zanthoxylum Fruit Recipes
The best combinations for Japanese peppers are ginger, star anise, and onions. The seasoning is added to seafood or sauces for crustacean and shellfish dishes.
Pour in Japanese pepper in the last minutes of cooking, only then will it reveal the taste of the dish. If you add it sooner or later, you won't get the scent you want.
Japanese pepper recipes:
- Kabayaki-unagi, fried eel … A glass of very sweet Japanese wine mirin is poured into a saucepan and put on fire. When Mirina boils, pour in a glass of sake, add 4 tablespoons of sugar and simmer for an hour so that bubbles are almost not visible. Pour in a glass of dark teriyaki and cook for another half hour. If you don't want to waste time making the sauce, you can buy it ready-made. In supermarkets, it is sold under the name "Smile Sauce". Eel fillets are soaked for 2 hours in water, to which a little salt has been added. Then the ridge is removed and the meat is cut into portions of 8-10 cm each. They put a steam bath, stick the skewers into the pieces of eel and set them on these skewers in the steam bath for 10-12 minutes. After the steam treatment, the pieces of eel are dipped, grasping the skewers, in ice water with pieces of ice. The skewers can now be removed, they are no longer useful. Grease the fish with sauce, grill on both sides, sprinkle with Japanese pepper during the last coups. The finished eel can be served with rice or used in sushi.
- Smelt for beer … 0.5 kg of fresh fish is gutted, juice is squeezed out of 2 oranges. Pour a tablespoon of soy sauce into the orange juice and marinate the smelt for half an hour. At this time, seasonings are prepared, a dry frying pan is heated, and a teaspoon of Japanese pepper, coriander and chili is placed on it. There is no need to fry, the heated spices begin to give off their aroma. Pour the spice mixture into a mortar, add 4 tablespoons and a little salt. Everything is mixed until a homogeneous structure, fish is breaded in the mixture and fried in olive oil until golden brown. The finished smelt is sprayed with lemon juice.
- Mousse mocha … Grind the pepper along with the inside. In a saucepan, 1/3 cup of 35% heavy cream, 1, 5 tablespoons of ground coffee and 8 g of Japanese pepper are heated to a boil. As soon as the mixture boils, remove the saucepan from the heat and wait until it cools down under the lid. Then the cream is filtered. Melt 120 g of dark chocolate, set aside. Separate the egg whites from the yolks and beat with a tablespoon of sugar until frothy. Gently pour the chocolate into the whipped egg whites, beat again, set to cool. Whisk the cream separately. Connect just before serving. You cannot cook a dish without a mixer.
- Eggplant cream soup … First, preheat the oven to 180 ° C. 2 medium-sized eggplants and 4 dense tomatoes are greased with olive oil, salted and baked with an unpeeled head of garlic, periodically turning the vegetables. Vegetable broth is cooked from carrots, onions, cabbage and potatoes. Vegetables do not matter, they are removed. The broth should be 700 ml. Eggplant pulp (discarded), peeled garlic, chopped red onion and tomatoes are placed in a blender bowl. A peeled chili pepper pod, 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 3 stalks of fresh thyme are dipped into the same bowl. Grind, add 500 ml of broth and mix again until homogeneous structure. The remaining broth is mixed with a glass of coconut milk, add half a teaspoon of Japanese pepper, bring to a boil and remove from heat. Mix 2 compositions. The dressing is added to the plate: chopped sheep cheese, chopped fresh thyme and crackers, pour over the soup. Everyone decides for himself what kind of soup he wants, thin or thick.
- Shrimp with Japanese pepper … The shrimp are peeled, especially carefully removing the insides. Preheat a frying pan, fry a quarter of a teaspoon of white and Japanese pepper, pour into a mortar and pound. You can use a coffee grinder. When preparing the pepper, add half a teaspoon of sea salt. Heat 1/4 cup peanut butter in a skillet until smoke appears. The shrimps are dipped in starch, fried in a pan with heated oil for 2 minutes. Drain the excess oil, add the pepper mixture, add 2 cloves of crushed garlic and fry for another minute.
The aroma of Japanese pepper is best revealed with seafood.
Tinctures with this type of pepper have a pronounced tonic effect. Drink recipes:
- Nuit Noir or black night … Pour into a 3 liter glass jar 750 ml of wheat moonshine of 50% strength, add a pinch of sea salt, half a Madagascar vanilla pod, 60 g of crushed dry licorice root, 1 teaspoon of Japanese pepper and 2 teaspoons of black peppercorns. Everything is mixed well and left for 2 days. Then sugar syrup is boiled from water and sugar in equal amounts and poured into a jar, focusing on your own taste - from half a glass to a whole. Insist for another week, and then filter. Store in a cool place and serve after meals. Can be diluted with sparkling water.
- Pepper kick … Cooking algorithm - like the Black Night. But other ingredients are mixed with moonshine: 1 tablespoon of Japanese pepper, half a teaspoon of black and white pepper, half a vanilla pod, zest with 2 oranges. The syrup is added on the third day, 200-250 ml. This tincture is diluted with grapefruit juice.
The tinctures retain their properties and aroma throughout the year.
Interesting facts about yellow woodworm
Zanthoxylum is a must-have ingredient in Sichuan's traditional Huajieian seasoning. The rest of the ingredients are salt and sifted black pepper.
Another popular Japanese seasoning is wuxianman, the rest of the ingredients are cassia, cloves, fennel and star anise.
In Japan, zanthoxylum foliage is used as a spice. It comes in several condiments. In shichimi togarashi, it is present along with tangerine zest, dry nori seaweed and seeds of poppy, hemp and sesame. Sanse consists only of dried ground leaves., Kimone - from pickled leaves.
Europeans are trying to replace Japanese pepper in national dishes with white. The Japanese immediately feel the substitution and believe that such a dish can never be an alternative to the original.
There are 134 types of zanthoxylum in total, but the most commonly used are:
- Spiny Indian with large, hard fruits, which is removed from the dish;
- Sichuan Indian light, softer;
- Japanese Sancho, which is most commonly used in basil and cinnamon seasonings;
- Huajio, native to eastern China, with a moderately pungent but low aroma and edible leaves.
Zanthoxylum is widely used in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries in all countries where it is grown or harvested. Its extract is introduced as an ingredient in anti-inflammatory and antibacterial preparations of general and local action, in medicinal shampoos, creams and toothpastes.
Watch a video about pepper zanthoxylum:
If you want to cook a dish from Japanese or Chinese cuisine, it is advisable to purchase Japanese pepper. Otherwise, it is impossible to understand why national dishes are so popular.
