Numbing Aesthetics: Taste and Tempers of Peppercorn, Mountain Pepper, Sansho

The article examined the cultural history of peppercorn, also known as mountain pepper or sanshō, focusing on its characterization as a "numbing spice" in East Asian traditions. Historically, peppercorn was valued for its vivid colors and its use in medicine, literature, and cuisine, believed to promote health and youth. It was used to treat various ailments, including hair loss, and its effectiveness was thought to be linked to its appearance. The spice also served as a social metaphor. However, in the 20th century, efforts by Tokyo-based chemists to distill its active components reduced its rich cultural and cosmological significance, redefining numbness as a flavor and diminishing its historical associations.