Yuzu koshō, a citrusy, spicy paste made with chili peppers and the yuzu citrus fruit that is a speciality of Kyushu in southern Japan, has become quite trendy overseas in the past few years. But there’s another deserving spicy chili pepper and yuzu mixture that is not as well known: kanzuri.
Unlike yuzu koshō, which is made in the summer months when green, unripe yuzu and green chili peppers are both available, and is ready to eat in about a week, kanzuri takes three years to fully mature.
The kanzuri product has been a registered trademark of Kanzuri Co. in Myoko, Niigata Prefecture, since 1966, although it is so familiar to consumers, especially in Niigata itself, that it has become a rather generic term for red chili pepper paste from the region. According to the company, the condiment may originate from a hot chili pepper paste consumed by the armies of the legendary 16th-century warlord Uesugi Kenshin.