Nanami Togarashi: Is It Different From Shichimi? Name, Ingredients and Uses

Picked up a bottle of nanami togarashi and wondered how it differs from shichimi? It’s the same Japanese table seasoning of chile, sansho pepper, sesame and other aromatics. Both names are readings of the same characters, 七味, “seven flavors,” and in Japan people say shichimi; nanami is the name on some packages sold outside Japan.¹ It doesn’t mean “seven seas,” and the one recipe source that compares the two says nanami gets less orange peel, not more. What changes from jar to jar is the recipe, not the name.

At a glance

The name

Tomo, a Japanese blogger based in Niigata, explains that 七味 can be read either shichimi or nanami, but when it names the spice blend the reading is shichimi, and Japanese people don’t call it nanami togarashi. Both readings mean “seven flavors.” You’ll often see the claim that nanami means “seven seas.” For this blend it doesn’t: the characters are the same ones read shichimi, “seven flavors.”¹

So why the second name abroad? Tomo reports that S&B’s shichimi has carried the name Nanami Togarashi on bottles sold outside Japan, which got some attention on Japanese social media. Tomo passes along another writer’s guess that non-Japanese buyers mix up shichimi with ichimi (plain chile) too easily.¹ Tomo doesn’t confirm that reason, and we can’t either. S&B’s Nanami Togarashi is sold in U.S. stores under that name.⁴

Just One Cookbook simply lists nanami togarashi as another name for shichimi togarashi, along with Japanese seven-spice.⁵

Is there a difference in ingredients?

You’ll read that nanami togarashi has the same seven ingredients as shichimi but more orange peel, so it’s more citrusy. The sources we checked don’t back that up:

The one recipe source that talks about the ratio says less peel, not more. The view from Japan is that there’s no fixed difference at all. We haven’t found a Japanese maker selling a product called nanami with its own recipe.

What’s in the jar

Three lists, each as its source gives it. The S&B label is the product actually sold as nanami togarashi in the United States.

The S&B nanami label has no hemp seed and no poppy seed, which fits Tomo’s account of export versions dropping ingredients that face import restrictions.¹ It does have ginger, which Shichimiya’s shichimi doesn’t. For four more ingredient lists, including Yagenbori’s, see shichimi togarashi.

Flavor

The chile brings the heat; everything else brings aroma. Shichimiya Honpo says every ingredient in its blend except the chile was picked for its fragrance.⁷ Sansho adds a numbing kind of heat. A blend with orange peel and ginger, like the S&B nanami, tastes bright and zesty up front, then nutty from the sesame. The chile shows up last, and the sansho leaves a light tingle.

History in brief

Nippon.com traces the blend to 1625, when it was created at Yagenbori, near the Ryogoku bridge in Edo. It was first sold at temple and shrine gates on the strength of its supposed medicinal value. Nippon.com lists chile, sansho and sesame as the standard members; the rest vary.² “Nanami” isn’t a separate tradition with its own origin story. It’s a different reading of the same name. The full history is on the shichimi togarashi page.

How to use it

Ramen, udon and soba, gyudon, tonjiru, yakitori and hot pots are the usual places for it. It’s mainly a table condiment, sprinkled over noodle soups and hot pots.

It’s also good on eggs, rice, grilled and fried foods, roasted vegetables, buttered popcorn, french fries and avocado. Sprinkle it on at the table instead of cooking it in. The aroma of the peel and sansho is what you’re paying for.

Buying and storage

• Read the label. Products called nanami togarashi and shichimi togarashi vary in what’s inside (see the table). Hemp seed and shiso turn up in Shichimiya’s shichimi but not on the S&B nanami label.
• Storage. For her homemade blend, Killebrew says to use an airtight container and finish it within a few weeks for best flavor.⁶ Keep shichimi somewhere cool, away from humidity and moisture. We didn’t find a shelf life for commercial blends.

Safety

Every list above includes sesame, which the FDA lists among the major food allergens.³

The blends also include seaweed (nori or aonori). The NIH Office of Dietary Supplements lists seaweed, including nori, among the best food sources of iodine, and says amounts vary a lot between species.⁸ We didn’t find a published iodine figure for nanami or shichimi togarashi, so don’t count on it as an iodine source.

Health claims

The ingredients of nanami togarashi often get credit for helping with cholesterol, digestion, arthritis, eczema and thyroid health, and for supplying minerals, vitamins and protein. We found no evidence that the blend, in the amounts you sprinkle on food, supplies meaningful nutrients or treats anything, so we’re not making those claims.

Substitutes and related pages

• Shichimi togarashi, the same blend under its Japanese name, and shichimi togarashi substitutes
• Sansho pepper and sansho pepper substitutes; Szechuan pepper
• Red pepper flakes, black sesame seeds, sesame seeds, ginger
• Furikake and Japanese spices