Sichuan Pepper

Sichuan pepper (, also known as Sichuanese pepper, Szechuan pepper, Chinese prickly ash, Chinese pepper, Mountain pepper, and ''mala'' pepper, is a spice commonly used in Sichuan cuisine in China, Bhutan and in northeast India. It is called mejenga in Assam, India. It is called thingey (ཐིང༌ངེ༌) in Bhutan and is used in preparing ezay (a side dish similar to chutney), to add spiciness to rice porridge (ཐུགཔ་), ba-thup and noodle (buckwheat noodles similar to soba) and other snacks. It is extensively used in preparing blood sausage throughout Bhutan, Tibet and China. Despite its name, Sichuan pepper is not closely related to black pepper or chili peppers. It is made from a plant of the genus ''Zanthoxylum'' in the family Rutaceae, which includes citrus and rue.

When eaten, Sichuan pepper produces a tingling, numbing effect due to the presence of hydroxy-alpha sanshool. The spice has the effect of transforming other flavors tasted together or shortly after. It is used in Sichuan dishes such as '' mapo doufu'' and Chongqing hot pot, and is often added to chili peppers to create a flavor known as '' málà'' (; ).

In Nepal, Timur or Timut pepper is a commonly used spice often confused with Sichuan pepper because they look similar and share some characteristics.

Species and cultivars

Sichuan peppers have been used for culinary and medicinal purposes in China for centuries with numerous ''Zanthoxylum'' species called (). Commonly used sichuan peppers in China include:

Less commonly cultivated species found in China include:
* '' Zanthoxylum simulans'' (red fruit)
* For a full list, consult '' Flora Reipublicae Popularis Sinicae'', which lists scientific binomials, accepted common names among Chinese scholars, and local vernacular names.

Over the years, Chinese farmers have cultivated multiple strains of ''Z. bungeanum'' and ''Z. schinifolium''.

'' Zanthoxylum armatum'' is found throughout the Himalayas, from Kashmir to Bhutan, as well as in Taiwan, Nepal, China, Philippines, Malaysia, Japan, and Pakistan, and is known by a variety of regional names, including () in Nepali and Hindko, () in Tibetan and in Bhutan.

Other Zanthoxylum spices

'' Zanthoxylum gilletii'' is an African species of ''Zanthoxylum'' used to produce spice uzazi. Similarly, other ''Zanthoxylum'' species are harvested for spice and seasoning production in a number of cultures and culinary traditions. These spices include andaliman, chopi, sancho, sanshō, teppal, and tirphal.

Culinary uses

Sichuan pepper is an important spice in Chinese, Nepali, Kashmiri, north east Indian, Tibetan, and Bhutanese cookery of the Himalayas. Sichuan pepper has a citrus-like flavor and induces a tingling numbness in the mouth, akin to a 50-hertz vibration, due to the presence of hydroxy-alpha sanshool. Food historian Harold McGee describes the effect of sanshools thus:

Chinese cuisine

Whole, green, freshly picked Sichuan pepper may be used in cooking, but dried Sichuan pepper is more commonly used. Once dried, the shiny black seeds inside the husk are discarded, along with any stems; the husk is what we know as Sichuan pepper or peppercorn.

The peppercorn may be used whole or finely ground, as it is in five-spice powder. '' Ma la'' sauce (; ), common in Sichuan cooking, is a combination of Sichuan pepper and chili pepper, and it is a key ingredient in Chongqing hot pot.

Sichuan pepper is also available as an oil (, marketed as either "Sichuan pepper oil", "Bunge prickly ash oil", or "huajiao oil"). Sichuan pepper infused oil can be used in dressing, dipping sauces, or any dish in which the flavor of the peppercorn is desired without the texture of the peppercorns themselves.

() is a mixture of salt and Sichuan pepper, toasted and browned in a wok, and served as a condiment to accompany chicken, duck, and pork dishes.

The leaves of the sichuan pepper tree are also used in soups and fried foods.

Other regions

One Himalayan specialty is the ''momo'', a dumpling stuffed with vegetables, cottage cheese, or minced yak or beef, and flavored with Sichuan pepper, garlic, ginger, and onion. In Nepal, the ''mala'' flavor is known as ' ().

In Korean cuisine, is often used to accompany fish soups such as '' chueo-tang''.

In Indonesian Batak cuisine, '' andaliman'' is ground and mixed with chilies and seasonings into a green ''sambal'' or chili paste. ''Arsik'' is a typical Indonesian dish containing ''andaliman''.

Medicinal uses

In Traditional Chinese medicine, '' Zanthoxylum bungeanum'' has been used as a herbal remedy. It is listed in the Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China and is prescribed for ailments as various as abdominal pains, toothache, and eczema. However, Sichuan pepper has no indications or accepted case for use in evidence-based medicine. Research has revealed that ''Z. bungeanum'' can have analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antioxidant effects in model animals and cell cultures. In rabbits, '' Z. armatum'' was experimentally investigated for its potential use in treating gastrointestinal, respiratory, and cardiovascular disorders.

Phytochemistry

Important compounds of various ''Zanthoxylum'' species include:
*'' Zanthoxylum fagara'' (Central & Southern Africa, South America) — alkaloids, coumarins (Phytochemistry, 27, 3933, 1988)
*'' Zanthoxylum simulans'' (Taiwan) — Mostly beta-myrcene, limonene, 1,8-cineole, Z-beta-ocimene (J. Agri. & Food Chem., 44, 1096, 1996)
*'' Zanthoxylum armatum'' (Nepal) — linalool (50%), limonene, methyl cinnamate, cineole
*'' Zanthoxylum rhetsa'' (India) — Sabinene, limonene, pinenes, para-cymene, terpinenes, 4-terpineol, alpha-terpineol. (Zeitschrift f. Lebensmitteluntersuchung und -forschung A, 206, 228, 1998)
*''Zanthoxylum piperitum'' (Japan eaves — citronellal, citronellol, Z-3-hexenal (Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry, 61, 491, 1997)
*'' Zanthoxylum acanthopodium'' (Indonesia) — citronellal, limonene

Historical US import ban

From 1968 to 2005, the United States Food and Drug Administration banned the importation of Sichuan peppercorns because they were found to be capable of carrying citrus canker (as the tree is in the same family, Rutaceae, as the genus '' Citrus''). This bacterial disease, which is very difficult to control, could potentially harm the foliage and fruit of citrus crops in the U.S. The import ban was only loosely enforced until 2002.

In 2005, the USDA and FDA allowed imports, provided the peppercorns were heated for ten minutes to approximately to kill any canker bacteria. Starting in 2007, the USDA no longer required peppercorns to be heated, fully ending the import ban on peppercorns.

See also

* ''Acmella oleracea'' (Sichuan buttons)

References

Citations

Sources

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PDF

External links

* Recipes
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Sichuan Bang Bang Chicken
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Dry-fried Sichuan Beef
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Chongqing Chicken With Chilies (La Zi Ji)
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Sichuan Mala Hot Pot
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Tibetan Beef and Sichuan Peppercorn Dumplings ('Sha Momo')
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How to Make Five-spice Powder

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Medicinal plants
Zanthoxylum
Sichuan cuisine
Chinese condiments
Peppers
Plants used in traditional Chinese medicine