The Science of Spice

186 Spice Profiles

BOTANICAL NAME

Zanthoxylum simulans

ALSO KNOWN AS

Chinese coriander, Chinese pepper,

mountain pepper, hua jiao, fagara.

MAJOR FLAVOUR COMPOUNDS

Sanshools.

PARTS USED

Fruit rinds (termed “peppercorns”), leaves.

METHOD OF CULTIVATION

Berry-sized fruits are picked in autumn

when red and mature.

COMMERCIAL PREPARATION

Fruits are sun-dried until they split open and

pounded to free the bitter seeds, which are

are discarded. The fruits are dried further.

NON-CULINARY USES

Used in Chinese herbal medicine as a

stimulant to promote digestion. Also used

as a diuretic and to treat rheumatism.

NEPAL

BHUTAN

CHINA

KOREA

MONGOLIA

SICHUAN PEPPER

Pungent | Citrusy | Floral

The plant

Sichuan pepper comes

from a shrub or small tree

in the citrus family.

Fruits are

small and

rust-red

Seeds in

the fruits

are black

and shiny

Leaves are

used as a

lemony spice

in Japan

Seeds are slightly

bitter but harmless,

and need not

be picked out

Powder

Pre-ground Sichuan

pepper is available to

buy, but is best

avoided as the flavours

quickly degrade.

Whole

The spice flavour comes from the

fruit’s dried husk, rather than

from the black seeds inside it.

Surface is

prickly, with

bits of stalk

attached

Region of cultivation

Sichuan pepper is native to the Sichuan

region of China. It is now cultivated

throughout China, Korea, Mongolia, Nepal,

and Bhutan.

Sichuan pepper has long featured

in the culture and cuisine of China.

More than 2,000 years ago, during

the Han Dynasty, it was reportedly

mixed into plaster to perfume the

walls of “pepper houses” – buildings

that housed the Emperor’s concubines

• to warm the rooms and perfume the
  air. It has also been found in tombs in
  northern China dating back to a similar
  period. The pepper was used to spice
  luxury foods and wines; Hanshan, an
  8th century Chinese poet, described
  lavish dishes of “roast duck tinctured
  with Sichuan pepper and salt”. It was
  also key in foods prepared as offerings
  to the gods. Perhaps because the plant
  bears many fruits and seeds, it was
  adopted as a fertility symbol, and in
  some rural areas of China today the
  spice is still thrown over newlyweds,
  like rice or confetti.

Spice story

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