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SICHUAN PEPPER BIO

Sichuan or Szechuan Pepper – Spice

Zanthoxylum piperitum

Origin: Japan

Format: whole seeds without seeds

Where to buy it, general information and tips on how to use it in the kitchen

Among the most used spices in all oriental cuisine, one of the most characteristic is definitely Sichuan pepper. Where to buy it, then? Terza Luna is the answer for all those who want to add this incredible pepper to their pantry, enhancing their dishes with a versatile and fragrant spice. With a strong and citrusy taste, try making unique recipes both sweet and savory with Sichuan pepper, and unusual spice blends.

Sichuan Pepper bio: Plant, Origin, and Flavor

Also known as black Sichuan pepper – or Szechuan pepper – it is often called by other generic and imprecise names such as 'Nepal pepper' or 'Chinese pepper' and 'Japanese pepper', depending on the country of origin. In reality, it is a very common spice throughout the East, especially in China, where it is called 'pepper flower', and particularly in the Sichuan province, where a large part of the world production of Sichuan pepper is cultivated, from which the most common name derives.

Szechuan pepper is a berry, the fruit of the perennial plant of the genus Zanthoxylum, and is improperly called pepper: it has no correlation with black pepper or green pepper, which instead belong to the Piperaceae family, although the appearance may resemble it.

The Zanthoxylum family has several varieties, many of which produce pepper berries. Terzaluna's Sichuan pepper is a Zanthoxylum Armatum in grains, also known as Nepalese pepper, but there are also other varieties from various parts of Asia such as Zanthoxylum Piperitum, Zanthoxylum Simulans, Zanthoxylum Shinifolium, typical of the Japanese and Korean varieties, and Zanthoxylum Bungeanum native to southwestern China.

Szechuan pepper has a citrusy, woody, and spicy flavor, less pungent than black pepper and less spicy than chili, but still leaves a tingling sensation on the palate, with a lemon aftertaste. The Sichuan pepper plant belongs to the Rutaceae family, the same as lemon, and produces these small berries of which only the husks are used while the seeds are removed, unlike normal pepper.

The Sichuan pepper plant is one of the most appreciated spices online for its antipruritic and analgesic action on the skin, but also for its activity against painful intestinal spasms and toothaches (the Zanthoxylum Armatum species is also called the 'toothache tree'). Let's get to know this spice better and delve into its most important properties.

Benefits and Properties of Sichuan Pepper

Among the benefits of Sichuan pepper is certainly its widespread use in Chinese and Japanese cuisine to reduce the irritating properties of some foods. It is also one of the few spices used in Tibetan cuisine, which, due to the hostile environment for cultivation, has limited availability of edible vegetables or spices. The anti-inflammatory and antioxidant action of Sichuan pepper is due to its content of polyphenols, including flavonoids and lignans. In addition to its use in cooking, Szechuan pepper also shows antiviral, digestive, and analgesic properties on the skin.

In traditional medicine, the oily extract of Sichuan pepper is used to soothe itching and toothaches, and there are also numerous cosmetic uses of Zanthoxylum. Furthermore, based on the insecticidal activity of some essential oils extracted from the seeds of some Zanthoxylum plants, research is being conducted on the development of new agents useful for controlling vectors such as mosquitoes, including various species of Anopheles – based on bioactive chemical compounds isolated from indigenous medicinal plants, as an alternative to chemical larvicides.

Sichuan Pepper: Where to Buy?

For some time, Terza Luna has been a reference point for those looking for information on Sichuan pepper and where to find it. In fact, at Terza Luna we have selected the best varieties of Sichuan peppercorns to allow anyone to include this incredible pepper, its flavor, and its history among the spices in their pantry. Buy Sichuan pepper for sale online at Terza Luna.

Sichuan Pepper: Price

• 50g pack: €5.50
• 100g pack: €11.00
• 250g pack: €19.90

Sichuan Pepper: Recipes

How to use Sichuan pepper? Although the taste of this pepper is not spicy, its strong aromaticity remains, releasing in the mouth a numbing sensation very similar to that of spiciness, due to the presence of the molecule hydroxy-alpha sanshool. It immediately presents a lemony aroma and leaves a slight numbness in the mouth. This spice is very suitable for accompanying meat and fish-based dishes; in Chinese cuisine, it is mainly combined with ginger and star anise—which you can find in the online spices section of Terza Luna—to accompany meats like duck and chicken, or used to create an aromatic oil. In Tibetan and Bhutanese cuisine, it is especially used on pork meats, along with garlic, while in Japanese cuisine, it is especially paired with soups, and the leaves are also used.

In Western cuisine, it is very common to use Sichuan pepper in sweet recipes, and it is often found in the preparation of chocolate mousse, enhancing its characteristics splendidly, or pineapple sorbets, while the particular Sichuan pepper beer is becoming increasingly popular. With its fresh flavor and citrusy notes, it is perfect in the preparation of artichoke or wild asparagus creams, but it surprises even more with fish and meats. It can be an excellent substitute for green pepper in preparing a Sichuan pepper steak, or added at the last moment to enrich pasta dishes. After shelling the Szechuan Pepper berries, it is recommended to use them toasted and ground at the time of serving the dishes, added off the heat or for example on cold pasta.

Some ideas for other recipes with Sichuan pepper:

• Sichuan Pepper Risotto – as an alternative to pink pepper

• Sichuan Pepper Steak – as an alternative to green pepper

• Lemon Tagliolini with Sichuan pepper

• Sichuan Pepper Grilled Shrimp

• Kung Pao Chicken with Sichuan Pepper and peanuts

If you are looking for further inspiration and ideas for your preparations based on this particular Asian spice, you can take a look at the article on our blog, Sichuan Pepper: Recipes.

Spice Blends with Sichuan Pepper

The Sichuan pepper, given its peculiar aroma, is also used as an ingredient in some rare spice mixes found in some Asian cuisines, such as Japanese cuisine. Shichimi Togarashi, for example, is a blend obtained from Sichuan pepper, white and black sesame, nori seaweed, and grated mandarin peels. Ideal for fish dishes, soups, and sushi, it also works well as an ingredient in sauces. The Hua jiao yan also contains Szechuan black pepper. This is mixed with roasted and sautéed salt grains in a wok and is excellent as a seasoning for fine meats.

Not only Sichuan Pepper, but a world of peppers to try on Terza Luna

On Terza Luna, you can purchase the most precious varieties of peppers from around the world carefully selected during our travels. Discover them all:

• Mix of precious peppers
• Green Pepper in Grains
• Pink Pepper
• White Pepper in Grains
• Pimento or Jamaican Pepper
• Tasmanian Pepper
• Long Pepper
• Madagascar Pepper
• Tellicherry Black Pepper
• Ethiopian Pepper
• Cubebe Pepper

The wide selection of peppers online on Terza Luna will allow you to travel around the world while staying in your kitchen. Organic and delicious peppers that will enrich your dishes with flavors from distant lands and ancient traditions.