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Sansho Pepper

Sansho pepper is a Japanese peppery spice with citrus-like aroma, commonly used to season grilled foods, soups, and noodle dishes.

Sansho Pepper — illustrative ingredient image

About Sansho Pepper

Sansho pepper is the dried fruit or ground spice of the Japanese sansho plant, used as a distinct Japanese seasoning rather than as black pepper. It is commonly sprinkled over grilled eel, chicken, fish, and other grilled foods, and added to soups, noodle dishes, simmered foods, and spice blends.

Its aroma is citrus-like, herbal, and peppery, with a tingling sensation on the tongue. Whole fruits and ground spice can differ in intensity and in how quickly their fragrance disperses during cooking, while blending with salt or other seasonings changes the finished seasoning.

Whole fruits are small and commonly green when fresh or darker and muted when dried; ground sansho is a fine powder. The spice is sold as whole dried berries, coarsely crushed pieces, or finely ground powder. Grinding and cooking alter fragrance release.

Ingredient type
seasoning

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Where sansho pepper appears

1 linked foods

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Ingredient connections awaiting review · Coverage is still growing, including packaged snacks.

Name examples awaiting language review. Confirm the specific food or product.

Local names for sansho pepper

Names and romanised forms to recognise on menus and labels.

English

Sansho Pepper

Available names only. Languages may be spoken in other countries; a name alone does not identify every ingredient in a dish.

Sansho Pepper nutrition & diet

Sansho Pepper nutritional value

Spices, "Sansho" (Japanese pepper), ground — MEXT 17066

Per 100 g of the edible portion in the explicitly named reference form.

Calories
375kcal
Protein
10.3g
Carbs
69.6g
Fat
6.2g

Per 100 g edible portion. Values use MEXT 2023 with March 2026 corrections; the English food name is matched by food code from the official English edition. Carbohydrate is total carbohydrate by difference. Values in parentheses in the source are estimates reported by MEXT. This reference does not cover other preparations or brands.

Portions & preparation

Confirm that the product is Japanese sansho, then match whole berries, ground pepper, leaf, or another plant part because forms are not interchangeable. Use the amount actually applied as seasoning and distinguish pure spice from blends containing salt, sugar, oil, or other flavorings.

Compare the right form: Match a reference to identified Japanese sansho plant material in whole or ground form, and to a pure product rather than an unspecified seasoning blend.

Diet considerations

Pure sansho pepper is plant-derived, but the product identity and plant part should be established. Seasoning blends may contain salt, sugar, cereal carriers, dairy, or animal-derived flavorings. The small spice portion generally differs from a sauce or coated preparation, whose carbohydrate pattern depends on its recipe.

AI-authored reading notes · Awaiting editorial review. Measured values, where available, have a separate source above.

Dietary compatibility

  • Vegan
    Typically compatible
  • Vegetarian
    Typically compatible
  • Pescatarian
    Typically compatible
  • Keto
    Not established
  • Paleo
    May be compatible
  • Low-carb
    Not established
  • Halal
    Not established
  • Kosher
    Not established
What these diet assessments mean
Vegan · Typically compatible
The plain ingredient profile is plant, fungal or mineral based. Added ingredients in a prepared product need a separate check.
Vegetarian · Typically compatible
The plain ingredient profile is plant, fungal or mineral based. Added ingredients in a prepared product need a separate check.
Pescatarian · Typically compatible
The plain ingredient profile is plant, fungal or mineral based. Added ingredients in a prepared product need a separate check.
Keto · Not established
A defined serving and sourced carbohydrate data are needed before assessing this dietary pattern.
Paleo · May be compatible
May fit a paleo pattern, depending on the cut or form, processing and added ingredients.
Low-carb · Not established
A defined serving and sourced carbohydrate data are needed before assessing this dietary pattern.
Halal · Not established
Sourcing, processing and any applicable certification have not been verified. A food name alone does not establish halal status.
Kosher · Not established
Sourcing, processing and any applicable certification have not been verified. A food name alone does not establish kosher status.

For the plain ingredient · Awaiting review. Diet compatibility is not allergy suitability or halal/kosher certification. Keto and low-carb depend on the portion.

Reviewed ingredient entryIngredient reference · Preparations vary

AI-generated illustration for visual context. It does not identify a particular product or establish allergen content.

Sources & review

Nutrition reference: MEXT Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan, 2023 supplement, corrected March 2026 ↗. Values are scaled from 100 g of the recorded edible form. Individual portions have no assumed fixed weight.

Expanded overview, name examples and nutrition notes are database drafts awaiting editorial review. Numeric nutrition values, where shown, have their own source and food-form reference.

The ingredient description and dish connections come from the draft catalogue and may change after review.

Last recorded verification: .