However, pepper is not a native species in China. According to Gao Lian, a famous playwright in Wanli period of Ming Dynasty, "Eight Records of Respecting Sound" records? There are many peppers and white flowers. Fruit, like a bald pen, tastes hot and red, which is impressive. ?
This is the earliest record of pepper in China, so it was not until the Ming Dynasty that pepper officially entered China.
Not only that, when Chili was first introduced, no one wanted to eat it, just to watch it. When peppers really settled in Sichuan, it was already during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty. Due to the influence of geographical environment, Sichuanese often need to eat spicy food to expel moisture from their bodies. So what did Sichuanese eat before that?
According to the information, before peppers entered China, our main spices were pepper, ginger and dogwood. In particular, Zanthoxylum bungeanum, which was widely planted, became the main seasoning in food as early as the Tang Dynasty. It can be said that pepper was the big brother in the seasoning before it came in. So how is pepper replaced step by step? Big brother? What is the status of pepper?
This will start with how pepper was introduced into China. Pepper was originally grown in tropical areas of Central and South America. Due to the intervention of European colonialism, pepper was introduced to Europe, and it was introduced to Japan around 1583-1598. As for the introduction to China, as I said before, it was in the Ming Dynasty.
Pepper was introduced into China mainly through two ways: First, the famous Silk Road entered Xinjiang, Gansu, Shaanxi and other places from West Asia, so people in northwest China first saw pepper. The second is to enter southern China through the Straits of Malacca, such as Yunnan, Guangxi and Hunan.
But when Sichuanese start to eat Chili, we should thank the people of Guizhou. When pepper has been widely planted in northwest China, Sichuanese still don't know what pepper is. In ancient times, salt was a scarce material. Due to the limited production technology and inconvenient transportation, the salt transported inland is often very expensive. People in Guizhou can't afford salt, so they have to find substitutes.
According to Qian Shu? When there is less salt, use dog pepper instead. Pepper is spicy in nature. If you only visit your husband's tongue and ears, it is not right. ?
In other words, in the absence of salt resources, people in Guizhou use peppers instead. However, pepper was introduced later, so it quickly replaced pepper because it was economical? Big brother? State.
Because of the war and the topography of Sichuan, many people from Guizhou and Hunan moved to Sichuan. Their arrival brought new eating habits to Sichuan, and peppers were spread. The record that Zanthoxylum bungeanum first appeared in Sichuan is: Meat dishes: Qin pepper, also known as sea pepper. ?
Zanthoxylum bungeanum was deeply loved by the bottom people because of its economic and practical characteristics, but at that time, it was not valued by the upper class. Later, eating spicy food became popular throughout Sichuan, and the upper class gradually accepted it. Finally, eating spicy food has become the symbol of Sichuanese, as recorded in Notes on Clearing Barn. Do people in Yunnan, Guizhou, Hunan and Shu like spicy food? No pepper, no mustard, no chopsticks, but there is a lot of soup. ?
"Shu You Lu Wenjian" is even more recorded:? But Sichuanese must choose extremely spicy peppers, and every meal and every dish should be spicy. ?
Thus, after pepper was introduced to China, Sichuanese ate pepper late, and the history of Sichuan people eating pepper was only over 400 years. However, with the passage of time, pepper has become the main ingredient in Sichuan cuisine, and Sichuan cuisine has gradually become one of the traditional cuisines with China characteristics.