Text: Bowl pills
Do Japanese people like Chili?
Some people say that peppers in Japanese cuisine have no sense of existence at all. However, some people say that a bowl of Hell Lamian Noodles or spicy curry is too spicy and will hurt.
So, what is the truth?
1 Chili Guang Zhi
Although pepper can be seen everywhere now, before the15th century, people in most parts of the world could not live without pepper. At that time, the world of spicy food in various countries was at the beginning of chaos, and all kinds of regional spicy ingredients were leading the trend, but nothing as domineering as pepper directly hit people's souls.
In Japan, in the long years without peppers, the spicy ingredients that accompanied people included: ginger imported from China, garlic and mustard seeds imported from China and the Korean Peninsula, and mountain pepper and wasabi imported from Japan. These ingredients are still active in Japanese cuisine, the most common being mustard mixed with sashimi and sushi.
1492, Pepper left Central and South America with Columbus' ship and went all the way across the ocean to Spain. Then, it arrived all over the world with merchant ships from Portugal and Spain. From then on, pepper witnessed the complexity and beauty of this vast world, and also let the world witness its complexity and beauty.
There are two main theories about how pepper was introduced into Japan. The first argument is that pepper was introduced to Kyushu, Japan by the Portuguese in the middle of16th century. 1542, the Portuguese, as the first Europeans to arrive in Japan, landed in Tanegashima, south of Kyushu, Japan, and began a 70-year barbarian trade with Japan. According to documents, in 1552, Portuguese missionaries gave pepper seeds to Dayouyi Town, a famous town in Houfeng County (today's Oita County). Because of this statement, pepper is also called "Nanman pepper" in Japan.
The Portuguese not only brought Japanese peppers that shocked their taste, but also brought matchlock guns that shocked their war opponents. The popularity of matchlock guns in Japan has had an important impact on Japan's war situation and tactical application. The classic case is the battle of Gao Na in which Oda Shinichi won a complete victory.
Another way of saying it is that pepper was brought back to Japan when Toyotomi Hideyoshi sent troops to Korea during the Luwen period (1592- 1596). According to this statement, pepper is also called "Korean pepper" in Japan.
Some scholars think that these two statements are not necessarily contradictory. Perhaps they were introduced to Japan through different routes. Others think that pepper was first introduced to Japan by the Portuguese, and then introduced to Toyotomi Hideyoshi by the Korean army. Anyway, by the end of 16 at the latest, the Japanese already knew what pepper was.
Then, the question came. Pepper is called "Tang Xinzi" or "China" in Japanese, while "Tang" is usually used to refer to China in Japanese. However, the earliest record of pepper in China is Eight Chapters of Zunsheng written by Gao Lian in Ming Dynasty (159 1). In other words, pepper was introduced to China in the late Ming Dynasty.
Therefore, if pepper was introduced to Japan by Portuguese, then the word "Tang" in "Tang Xinzi" can only be interpreted as that the Naman ship (merchant ships from Portugal and other countries) arrived in Japan through the port of China, or simply "Tang" refers to foreign countries. According to the introduction of pepper from the Korean peninsula, considering the close economic and cultural exchanges between ancient China and the Korean peninsula, the name of Tang Xinzi seems easier to explain.
2 bottles of fancy Chili powder
When I first came into contact with Chili, the Japanese didn't have a good impression of it. In the early edo period, pepper was too strong to have much in common with Japanese cuisine. Therefore, in Japan, peppers are used as ornamental, medicinal and put in socks to prevent frostbite.
Then, the Japanese decided to use Chili powder as seasoning, so seven flavors of Tang Xinzi and Tang Xinzi have been passed down to this day. Not surprisingly, Tang Xinzi is just pure Chili powder, while Qiwei Tang Xinzi is a fancy Chili seasoning with a little Japanese originality.
1626, Tokushima Nakajima opened an Edo Institute of Medicine (now near the East Japan Bridge in Tokyo) called "やげん?", and Mr Nakajima was inspired by Chinese medicine, and the earliest Japanese seven-flavor Tang Xinzi was made in an instant.
In addition to やげん, two other famous seven-flavored Tang Xinzi old shops in the Edo period were the seven-flavored home store in Kyoto and the eight-flavored house in Nagano, and their products were called "three Japanese seven-flavored Tang Xinzi". The formula and flavor characteristics of each family are also different.
Tang Xinzi blindly and Tang Xinzi seven flavors can be seen everywhere in Japanese life now. Adding a spoonful of Lamian Noodles, udon noodles, buckwheat noodles, beef rice, chicken pot, pork miso soup or soup tofu may not turn decay into magic like Laoganma, but it will eventually bring a touch of bright color to cooking.
Cold working and grapefruit pepper
Also in the edo period, in Niigata Prefecture, northern Japan, another magical food related to peppers was brewed in the snow. This kind of food is called Hanzuoli (or Hanzuoli), which is a Chili sauce fermented with Chili, Japanese grapefruit, salt and rice koji.
It is special in that the peppers in the raw materials should be pickled and dried in the snow. Think about how snowy Niigata is in winter. Come out and dry Chili. Don't be too beautiful. In addition, the production and fermentation time of cold farming is three years in total. In the past, horses and chariots were slow and letters were far away. I could only do cold work dozens of times in my life. ...
Grapefruit pepper originated in Kyushu, Japan 50-60 years ago, and it is also a familiar seasoning for many Japanese foodies. The name "grapefruit pepper" is very deceptive. In fact, the raw materials are Japanese grapefruit (that is, oranges in China) and peppers. Because this kind of pepper is called pepper in Kyushu dialect, it has this confusing name.
There are actually two versions of grapefruit pepper: green grapefruit pepper and red grapefruit pepper. Green pomelo pepper is made of immature green Japanese pomelo and green pepper, which tastes spicy; Red grapefruit pepper is made of ripe yellow Japanese grapefruit and red pepper, which has a strong aroma. The more common is green grapefruit pepper. Grapefruit pepper is very suitable with meat, which can refresh and relieve boredom. It is often used with barbecue, fried food, sashimi, pots and so on.
In Okinawa, there is a unique pepper seasoning called "Tang Xinzi soaked in water". The local people pickled Tang Xinzi pepper with wine and vinegar, which is a unique local pepper variety. Drop a few drops of this hot and sour seasoning, whether you eat Okinawa noodles (instant noodles) or fried Okinawa noodles (instant noodles), you will get a (lao) taste (lei) and a (zong) taste.
In addition, Tang Xinzi miso, chili oil and other seasonings are all made of chili.
When peppers become vegetables.
In addition to making seasonings with peppers, Japanese people also like to eat peppers as vegetables. Pepper as a vegetable is divided into two camps: sweet and spicy.
Among the varieties of sweet pepper, besides persimmon pepper, which is very common in many countries, there are some lovely varieties with Japanese characteristics, such as "Tang Xinzi the Lion", which looks a little cute and its top is shaped like a lion's mouth, hence its name. Thin and sweet meat, mainly produced in Kochi Prefecture, can be used for baking, cooking, frying and other dishes.
In contrast, the sweet pepper varieties in Kyoto and Nara seem to have more ancient charm. Two kinds of characteristic sweet peppers in Kyoto are "A friend in need is a friend indeed" and "Tang Xinzi in Wanyuan Temple". Both of them are slender and tapering, but the Tang Xinzi of Wanyuan Temple is a little bulky. The history of Chang Gan in Fujian began in the Edo period, while the history of Wanyuan Temple in Tang Xinzi began in the Taisho period. They have been planted and eaten in Kyoto for 100 years. Nara's specialty sweet pepper is "New Tang Xinzi", which is thinner than the two kinds of sweet peppers in Kyoto.
Kyoto also produces a very distinctive hot pepper variety called "Fujian Xin", which can be used to make baked goods, cooked food, fried food and other dishes, and can also be used to make the "grapefruit pepper" mentioned above. In addition, the leaves of this pepper can also be used for cooking.
The traditional pepper variety "Shenle Nanman" in Nagaoka City, Niigata Prefecture, although it has a face of persimmon pepper, is actually a kind of pepper with thick meat and refreshing and spicy taste. It can be shredded, cold-mixed, baked or fried into tempura, or miso can be dyed and pickled.
In addition, there are "Hong Qian is coming" in Aomori Prefecture and "ぁじめ" in Gifu Prefecture. "Lailai" in Aomori Prefecture is big and slightly spicy, while "Lailai" in Gifu Prefecture is slender and spicy.
Do Japanese people like Chili?
So, peppers are really changing the lives of Japanese people. Although mustard is generally more acceptable in Japanese spicy seasonings, some Japanese young people prefer pepper to mustard.
Japan experienced a long period of meat fasting in ancient times, and the meat consumption in Japan was fully liberalized after the Meiji Restoration. In recent years, meat consumption in Japan has been growing steadily. Heavy-flavored seasonings such as peppers with meat are also increasingly accepted by the Japanese. In addition, in recent years, the influence of foreign cuisines such as Korean cuisine, Thai cuisine and China Sichuan cuisine has expanded in Japan, which has also subtly changed the Japanese's understanding of spicy food.
In Japan, the peppers used as seasoning mainly include Hawkclaw, Sakura, Sakura, Bafang, Xiong Ying, Neng Sakura and other pepper varieties, among which there are many varieties with high spicy degree.
Among them, the representative pepper variety is Eagle's Claw, and its spiciness is 40,000-50,000 Shu (Gaubil spiciness unit). Xiong Ying and Nengying have higher spicy degrees, both exceeding 654.38+100000 Shu, and Xiong Ying's spicy degree can reach 654.38+02.5-654.38+05000 Shu (by the way, the spicy degree of Xiaomi, a pepper variety with higher spicy degree in China, is about 30,000-50,000 Shu).
Japanese Lamian Noodles and Japanese curry also have strong spicy taste, but they are not the mainstream. Therefore, as far as Japanese cuisine is concerned, the use of peppers is relatively restrained, and there is no situation that a large number of dishes are brainwashed by peppers like Korean cuisine, and there is no situation that many areas like China are addicted to peppers and form an influential regional cuisine style.
However, there are still some gluttons in Japan who like to challenge the limits of spicy food and long for all kinds of "exciting" (super spicy) dishes. There will also be activities aimed at such diners in Japan. For example, in recent years, Tokyo has held the "Jixin Food Festival" every year.
Dozens of restaurants in Tokyo (mainly Chinese restaurants, Korean restaurants, Thai restaurants, Vietnamese restaurants, Indian restaurants, Lamian Noodles restaurants and curry restaurants) will present their own wonderful dishes. The dishes in every restaurant look red, sweaty and full of unpredictable and exciting power. ...
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