Red Sichuan Pepper

What is Sichuan pepper?

Let's start by setting the record straight. Despite its name, Sichuan pepper is not a pepper. It is actually a berry. This will not change the taste pleasure you will experience, but it is important that you understand what you are buying and consuming. There are both green and red Sichuan peppers. The difference with traditional peppercorns is that this time it is not the seed that is important, but the shell. It is the shell that brings flavors and aromas to your dishes. You can choose to use it dried to flavour a dish by infusion, like vanilla, or to grind it. Sichuan is a Chinese province. It is here that this spice has been cultivated for a long time. A traditional ingredient in Chinese cuisine, the main spice of the region from which it originates, it has traveled a lot. Marco Polo himself, during a trip to Asia, left with a Zanthoxylum piperitum to plant it in Italy, and particularly in Venice, in the homes of wealthy people. We know how precious spices were at the time. Although it disappeared for some time from Western culture, botanists have put Zanthoxylum piperitum or Clavalier back in the spotlight. The Sichuan pepper has grown in French botanical gardens, without arousing the curiosity of cooks. It was only in the 1980s that they 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 flavor of Sichuan pepper?

The red pepper, harvested at maturity, is more subtle and slightly woody. It reveals warm and spicy notes. Green Sichuan pepper is much fresher, but less subtle. On the other hand, whatever the color, one finds notes of citrus fruits and in particular of lemon which are not without reminding the Sansho pepper. This is really the particularity of the Sichuan pepper, and it is what makes its success.

The harvest of Sichuan pepper in the plantations

Sichuan pepper comes from the Zanthoxylum piperitum which also produces Sansho pepper. The 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 one was simply picked before maturity, the second one at maturity. Picked at different times of ripeness, these berries naturally offer somewhat different tastes.

How to use Sichuan pepper in cooking

Pepper or no pepper, this berry will find its place in your kitchen to offer a whole new dimension. Its freshness and citrus notes will give your dishes a boost. With meats, Sichuan pepper is a perfect seasoning for your dishes. A 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 Timut pepper which also develops citrus notes. These Chinese berries can also be used to flavour a salmon steak, a fillet of pike-perch or turbot. With duck, Sichuan pepper will also awaken all your senses. It goes well with vegetables and starches. Rice, potatoes, it brings this incredible freshness that will settle you. And naturally, 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: Sichuan pepper is found in the Chinese 5-spice blend.

The conservation of Sichuan pepper

This pepper is best kept away from light at room temperature. You preserve all these flavors.

Origin of this pepper China

Other names of the pepper of Sichuan Chinese pepper, pepper flower, pepper of mountain, Chinese bays, pepper of Qin