Szechuan Red Pepper

What is Szechuan pepper?

Let's start by setting the record straight first. Despite its name, Szechuan pepper is not pepper. It's actually a berry. This will not change the taste pleasure you will experience, but it is important for you to understand what you are buying and what you are consuming. There is both green Szechuan pepper and red Szechuan pepper. The difference with a traditional pepper is that this time it is not the kernel that is important, but the shell. It is the shell that brings aromas and flavours to your dishes. You can choose to use it dried to flavour a dish by infusion, such as vanilla, or to grind it. Sichuan is a Chinese province. It is here that this spice has been cultivated for a very long time. A traditional ingredient in Chinese cuisine, it is the main spice of the region where it originated and has travelled extensively. Marco Polo himself, during a trip to Asia, left with a Zanthoxylum piperitum to plant it in Italy, particularly in Venice, in the homes of wealthy people. We know how precious spices were at the time. Although it disappeared from Western culture for a while, botanists have put Zanthoxylum piperitum or Clavalier back in the spotlight. Szechuan pepper thus grew in French botanical gardens, without arousing the curiosity of cooks. It wasn't until the 1980s that cooks became interested in this spice and made it the star of their cuisine. Today, it is impossible to watch a cooking show without hearing about this pepper.

What is the flavour of Szechuan pepper?

Red pepper, harvested when ripe, is more subtle and slightly woody. It reveals warm and spicy notes. Szechuan green pepper is much fresher, but less subtle. On the other hand, whatever the colour, there are notes of citrus fruits, particularly lemon, which are not unlike Sansho pepper. This is truly the particularity of Sichuan pepper, and that is what makes it so successful.

The harvest of Sichuan pepper in the plantations

Szechuan pepper comes from the Zanthoxylum piperitum which also produces Sansho pepper. The very name of this shrub is misleading since it is not a pepper plant. There are two types of Sichuan peppers: green and red. The first was simply picked before maturity, the second at maturity. Picked at different times of ripeness, these berries naturally offer somewhat different tastes.

How to use Szechuan pepper in cooking

Pepper or no pepper, this berry will find its place in your kitchen to give it a whole new dimension. Its freshness and its citrus notes will give pep to your dishes. With meats, Szechuan pepper will season your dishes wonderfully. One turn of the mill is enough. Imagine a chicken sautéed with pepper, a beef with a pepper sauce in which you can perfectly integrate a black pepper, a long pepper, a wild pepper from Madagascar (which does not only produce vanilla), a pepper from Timut itself which also develops citrus notes. These Chinese berries can also flavour a salmon steak, a fillet of pikeperch or turbot. With duck, Sichuan pepper will also awaken all your senses. Of course, it goes well with vegetables and starchy foods. Rice, potatoes, it brings this incredible freshness that will settle you. And of course, it can be used in cold dishes. In a delicious vinaigrette, a salad with fleur de sel, in a chocolate or red fruit dessert, it is a delight. Good to know: Szechuan pepper is found in the Chinese five spice blend.

Health benefits of Szechuan pepper

Asian doctors use the shell of this berry to treat dental pain and skin conditions. Although the black berry is bitter to the taste, it does not have any specific properties either. Some believe that Szechuan pepper has aphrodisiac properties.

The conservation of Szechuan pepper

This pepper should preferably be stored away from light at room temperature. You thus preserve all these flavours.

Origin of this pepper China

Other names of Szechuan pepper Chinese pepper, flower pepper, mountain pepper, Chinese berries, Qin pepper