Red Sichuan Pepper

Livré en sachet refermable 

Pour info, 100g de produit ont un volume d'1/2 litre environ

Uses in Cooking:

The flavor of Sichuan pepper is unique: it is first citrusy, almost salty, and slightly spicy at the same time, followed by a tingling sensation in the mouth, reminiscent of lemonade!

Here, it is harvested when ripe, but you can also find it "green" on our site, with an extraordinary citrus flavor...!

You can lightly toast it in a pan before grinding it into powder, or simply pass it through a mill just before consuming. It enhances chicken, duck, pork, and fish dishes, making them delightful, as well as rice and pasta. It is also delicious on foie gras, adds originality to an exotic fruit salad, and elevates a chocolate dessert! Like many spices, it’s best to add it to the dish halfway through cooking to avoid overly altering its flavor.

Commonly used in Asian cuisine (Chinese, Tibetan, and Japanese), since it originates from China, it is often included in the five-spice blend, a typically Asian mixture, alongside star anise, fennel, cloves, and cinnamon. It can also be mixed with other peppers (like a five-pepper blend) to impart its acidity and freshness.

Its frequent use in Tibetan cuisine is due to it being one of the few spices that can grow at high altitudes.

Who am I?

Origin: China

Scientific name: Zanthoxylum piperitum

Other names: Fagara, Chinese pepper, flower pepper

Sichuan pepper is named after the Chinese province from which it originates. Despite its name, it has nothing to do with the pepper family, but rather with the citrus family!

The Sichuan pepper plant is a deciduous shrub in the Rutaceae family, reaching about 2.5 meters in height. In autumn, its foliage takes on stunning mauve and purple hues. The underside of the deeply divided and fragrant leaves, as well as the branches, are covered with many sharp thorns reminiscent of rose thorns. It produces small, bumpy fruits a few millimeters in diameter, initially green, then bright red turning to dark violet at harvest time in October.

In fact, only the empty husk of these small fruits is consumed, which split open to release their shiny black seed that is not eaten because it is hard and somewhat bitter. A good Sichuan pepper should contain a maximum of empty husks and as few seeds as possible!

A Little History:

Sichuan pepper has been cultivated in China and Japan since ancient times. This shrub was discovered, and its fruits were brought to Venice by Marco Polo in the 13th century. At that time, it became a sensation in Venetian cuisine. It then disappeared until the 19th century when it was rediscovered by curious botanists who named it "clavalier." It is only in recent years that culinary curiosity has brought it back into vogue!