Níðhöggr's Shichimi Togarashi (Japan)

Four centuries ago in Edo, Shichimi Togarashi earned its name as the “seven flavor chili,” because heat alone was never enough. The magic was in what happened around the flame: citrus flashing through, toasted warmth grounding it, a strange electric tingle arriving a heartbeat later, and the faintest breath of the sea hiding underneath. Níðhöggr keeps that old idea restless and alive, turning a plain bowl or ordinary meal into something that keeps changing long after the first bite. It earns its place near the stove because a quick shake does more than make food hotter; it gives the meal another layer to discover. ||br|| ||br||

Beneath Yggdrasil, Níðhöggr spent eternity gnawing at the roots of the world, never content to leave the surface untouched. Shichimi behaves much the same way. The first spark is only the beginning; the deeper you follow it, the more the flavor keeps working beneath what you thought you tasted. Níðhöggr was never chosen simply because he bites, but because he reminds us that the most interesting things are often still moving underneath. ||br|| ||br|| Used in these Skeids recipes: ||br|| **Toasted Orzo Rice Pilaf** http://www.skeids.com