Practice JLPTMeaning
紫蘇 (しそ, Shiso) is Perilla — a Japanese food (leafy greens, plants, spices garnish dips sauces).
What is Perilla?
In Japan, shiso ( Perilla frutescens var. crispa ) traditionally denoted the purple-red form. In recent years, green is considered typical, and red considered atypical. The red shiso or su tzu types are called "purple mint". Shiso leaves, seeds, and sprouts are used extensively in Japanese cuisine. Green leaves, called aojiso ("blue shiso", 青紫蘇), are used as an herb in cold noodle dishes ( hiyamugi and sōmen ), cold tofu ( hiyayakko ), tataki, and namerō . Aojiso is also served fresh with sashimi. Shiso seed pods are salted and preserved to be used as a spice, while the germinated sprouts, called mejiso[?] , are used as garnish. The inflorescence of shiso , called hojiso (穂紫蘇 ) is used as garnish on a sashimi plate. A whole leaf of green shiso is often used as a receptacle to hold wasabi , or various tsuma (garnishes, 妻), and ken ( daikon , etc., sliced into fine threads). Akajiso is used to dye umeboshi (pickled ume ) red or combined with ume paste in sushi to make umeshiso makizushi . It can also be used to make a sweet, red juice to enjoy during summer.