Sichuan cuisine

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Sichuan cuisine
tips & insights

Sichuan peppercorn

Chef use this tiny fruit in its dried form (see photo above). It contributes flavor and hot spiciness to food, though not as much as chilies. And despite its name and culinary use, it is not related botanically to the peppercorn (or chili) family.

Chilies

They were not introduced into the region until a few hundred years ago, when chilies were brought over from their New World habitat.

Not everything is hot

The people prefer the dishes on the table to have degrees of hotness varying from mild to fiery.

Banquets

The use of chilies is drastically reduced or eliminated in the dishes served at banquets.

Geography

The region's culinary core is an isolated triangular fertile plain enclosed by three massive mountain ranges. This topography helps produce a hot and humid climate that is conducive to the area's most characteristic seasoning, tongue scorching chilies.