is a sometimes hot
East Asia
East Asia is the eastern region of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The modern states of East Asia include China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan. China, North Korea, South Korea ...
n pepper variety of the species ''
Capsicum annuum
''Capsicum annuum'' is a species of the plant genus '' Capsicum'' native to southern North America, the Caribbean, and northern South America. This species is the most common and extensively cultivated of the five domesticated capsicums. The sp ...
''.
[, abstract quote: " 'Shishito' (Capsicum annuum L.) is a group of sweet pepper cultivars. Fruits are small, green and non-pungent, but pungent fruits sometimes occur.."]
Characteristics
The pepper is small and finger-long, slender, and thin-walled. Although it turns from green to red upon ripening, it is usually harvested while green. The name refers to the fact that the tip of the looks like the head; in
Japanese it is often abbreviated as ''shishitō''.
About one out of every ten to twenty peppers is spicy. The occurrence of pungent fruit is induced by such factors as exposure to sunlight,
[ and other environmental stresses.
The prefectural agricultural testing center at Kishigawa, Wakayama stated in 2005 that ]capsaicin
Capsaicin (8-methyl-''N''-vanillyl-6-nonenamide) ( or ) is an active component of chili peppers, which are plants belonging to the genus ''Capsicum''. It is a chemical irritant for mammals, including humans, and produces a sensation of burning ...
forms more easily in hot and dry conditions in the summer, and even experts may not be able to distinguish relative hotness on the same plant.[, also posted by blo]
新建設 まめ知識:Q.辛くないシシトウの見分け方はありますか？
(retrieved April 2012)
For cooking, a hole is poked in the pepper beforehand to keep expanding hot air from bursting the pepper. It may be skewered then broiled (grilled), or pan-fried in oil, stewed in a soy sauce– and dashi
is a family of stocks used in Japanese cuisine. ''Dashi'' forms the base for miso soup, clear broth soup, noodle broth soup, and many simmering liquids to accentuate the savory flavor known as umami. ''Dashi'' is also mixed into the flour ...
-based liquid, or simply eaten raw in a salad or as a condiment. It is thin-skinned and will blister and char easily compared with thicker-skinned varieties of peppers.
Gallery
Shishito Peppers.jpg, Grilled shishito peppers
File:Kkwari-gochu-myeolchi-bokkeum.jpg, ''Kkwari-gochu- myeolchi- bokkeum'' (stir-fried groundcherry peppers and anchovies)
File:Kkwarigochujangajji (pickled kkwari pepper).jpg, ''Kkwari-gochu- jangajji'' (pickled groundcherry peppers)
File:Homegrown shishito peppers.jpg, Shishito peppers shortly after being picked.
See also
* Shichimi, chili pepper in Japan
*
* Padrón peppers, a similarly used pepper in Spain
References
{{Capsicum Cultivars
Chili peppers
Fruit vegetables
Japanese vegetables
Capsicum cultivars
Korean vegetables