Shichimi Togarashi

Shichimi Togarashi is a vibrant spice blend. Cayenne pepper’s kicking heat stands front and center, supporting a mosaic of flavors. Woodsy, pine-laden black pepper and its capricious floral top notes plays in balance with the briny depth of nori and the zing of tangerine zest. Aromatic garlic fills in any missing holes in the base flavor while sesame and poppy seeds bring their nutty savor and fun crunch. We blend our Shichimi Togarashi on site in small batches, which helps guarantee that we provide our customers with the freshest and most flavorful spice blend possible.

Shichimi Togarashi was not invented by accident. This spice blend was developed in the year 1625, by an herbalist working at the Yagenbori herb shop in the city of Edo—what we now know as Tokyo. It was developed using the principles of Chinese medicine; every individual ingredient of the blend was carefully selected for the unique healing property it delivered. Named shichimi togarashi in recognition of its composition—shichi means “seven”, mi means “taste” or “flavor”, and togarashi means “pepper”—this “7-flavor pepper” blend was readily embraced by the public. The health benefits were lovely, but consumers were ultimately more interested in the delicious flavors provided by this complex blend.

Tips From Our Kitchen

This versatile blend is a popular table condiment in Japan, and is generally used to season food just before eating. Shichimi Togarashi is used to add both heat and flavor to soba or udon noodles, miso soup, and the seared beef dish, beef tataki. It goes well with fried food like tempura or a fatty pork confit. It’s great on grilled kebabs and makes gorgeous snacks, like spiced nuts and popcorn. It also makes a beautiful presentation sprinkled over crisp summer melon. We also like to use Shichimi Togarishi early in the cooking process when making a flavorful crust for bold fishes like tuna, mixed into burgers or ground pork, or as a coating for baked chicken wings.

Shichimi Togarashi is a potent blend; we recommend that you use 1/3 as much as you think you need at first.

We make this blend with black pepper, cayenne, tangerine zest, garlic, poppy seed, black sesame and nori.

This product is certified kosher.

Hungry for more information?

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Understanding Japan: Shichimi Togarashi