China's food culture has regional characteristics. For example, northerners like to eat salty food, while southerners like to eat sweet food. As a land of abundance, Sichuan, the locals love peppers. But friends may not know that pepper is not a native species in China, and it was only introduced to China in the Ming Dynasty. As for settling in Sichuan, it has reached the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty. What were Sichuanese eating before peppers entered China?

Early spicy seasoning in Sichuan

According to relevant data, the earliest record of pepper in China comes from the Eight Notes on Zunsheng written by Gao Lian, a famous dramatist in Wanli period of Ming Dynasty: "Peppers are full of flowers. The fruit is like a bald pen, and it tastes spicy and red, which is very impressive. " It can be seen that the earliest pepper in China was introduced in the Ming Dynasty, and its original function was also for viewing, not eating. However, Sichuanese have been "spicy" since ancient times, and the special geographical environment also makes them like to eat spicy food to expel moisture from their bodies. What spicy food were Sichuanese eating before the Ming Dynasty?

Zanthoxylum bungeanum

Through the study of ancient recipes in China, it can be found that more than 2, years before pepper entered China, three kinds of spicy seasonings were commonly used by the ancients in China: Zanthoxylum bungeanum, ginger and cornus. Pepper, in particular, was widely planted in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and the Yellow River. In the rich Tang Dynasty, the proportion of food using pepper in recipes actually accounted for 37%. In other words, before the appearance of pepper, pepper once occupied a dominant position among pungent spices.

how did the former king pepper lose to his younger brother pepper? This has to start with Guizhou people and salt. Pepper originated in America, and was originally eaten by local aborigines. In the process of opening up a new air route, Columbus accidentally discovered the existence of pepper in America and shipped it back to Europe as a spice. Of course, Columbus took a fancy to Chili because he regarded it as Indian pepper. Pepper is a seasoning that European aristocrats can afford, and the price is high. Columbus thought it was profitable, so he rolled it in America.

soon, peppers are everywhere in Europe. During the Qin Long period of the Ming Dynasty, the imperial court lifted the sea ban, and the merchants of the Ming Dynasty who were doing business in the Straits of Malacca smelled business opportunities and introduced them to China. But like tomatoes, people didn't dare to eat them at first, just regarded them as ornamental plants. According to the Ming Dynasty's Caohuapu, pepper was first introduced from Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Guangdong, but people in these areas did not use it, but let it flood in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River and southwest China.

Sichuanese eat chilies under the influence of Guizhou people. Salt is the most important condiment in human life, and it can be called "the king of all kinds of flavors". However, due to the underdeveloped salt production technology and inconvenient transportation in ancient times, salt shortage often occurs in inland areas. Guizhou is located in Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, and it is short of salt for a long time. In order to solve this problem, Zhang Guangsi, governor of Guizhou in Qianlong period, even specially opened Chishui River to transport salt.

the introduction of pepper

although salt has come in, things are rare, and the salt in Guizhou market is still very expensive. The people at the bottom can't afford it, so they can only look for substitutes. At this time, pepper entered the field of vision of this group of people at the bottom. According to the book Qian Shu written by Tian Wen, a writer in Qing Dynasty, "When the salt is scarce, replace it with dog pepper. Pepper is pungent in nature, and it is not the right taste. " The dog pepper here is not pepper, but a traditional pepper in China. After the introduction of pepper, the economical pepper quickly replaced the position of pepper.

The "dominant" position of pepper in Sichuan

When pepper entered Sichuan, it was in the Qianlong period of Qing Dynasty. According to the county annals of Dayi County, a suburb of Chengdu, in the 14th year of Qianlong, there was the first record about peppers in Sichuan: "Meat dishes: Qin pepper, also known as sea pepper." In several major wars, Sichuan's primitive residents never existed, and the rulers adopted the immigration policy in order to maintain social stability. Residents of Huguang area and Yunnan-Guizhou area were moved to Sichuan.

These "new Sichuanese" have brought new eating habits. While maintaining the traditional hemp-loving habits, they also add spicy flavor to them. According to the Qing Dynasty's Qing Dynasty's Qing Dynasty's notes, "People in Yunnan, Guizhou, Hunan and Shu are fond of spicy products ... there is no pepper and mustard, but there are many soups." Calling sea pepper "Chili" or "chili pepper" is the contribution of Hunan people. Because pepper is eaten by the poor people at the bottom of Guizhou, it was initially prejudiced by the upper class when it was introduced to Sichuan.

Hot pot filled with chilies

Until the whole Sichuan formed a social atmosphere of eating chilies, the upper-class people chose to accept it. Therefore, Sichuanese eat spicy food for only 4 years. And spicy, has become the most important element in Sichuan cuisine. After the founding of New China, with the flow of migrant workers in various provinces, peppers became popular in China.