It was more than a hundred years ago that Sichuan pepper became a basic flavor of Sichuan cuisine. In the "Chengdu Tongjian" at the end of the Qing Dynasty, there was a title about "Chili Chicken Slices". Since then, "hemp" as a flavor has been spread in Sichuan. "Panthoxylum bungeanum is good, fragrant, and has a particularly long-lasting flavor. It is indispensable for fish stews and meats. It is strong for frying, stir-frying, and frying. It is used for seasoning any dish. It will not be fragrant without the smell of Zanthoxylum bungeanum..." In the traditional folk art "Thirteen Fragrances" , the first thing to sing is Zanthoxylum bungeanum, which is the "big sister" of Chinese spices. It was more than a hundred years ago that Sichuan peppercorns completely independently became a basic flavor in Sichuan cuisine. In the "Chengdu Tongjian" at the end of the Qing Dynasty, there was a title about "Chili Chicken Slices". Since then, "hemp" as a flavor has been spread in Sichuan. Sichuan food writer Shi Guanghua said that spicy food before the Ming Dynasty only had Sichuan peppercorns and no chili peppers. Chili peppers entered China in the Ming Dynasty and only entered Sichuan during the Kangxi and Qianlong periods of the Qing Dynasty. After these two things met, they were inseparable. There would be no Sichuan food without spicy food, and Sichuan peppercorns are the source of the numbing flavor. ■ Usage: "Put it in first and then put it in, put it raw and then put it in your mouth." Many Sichuan dishes are inseparable from Sichuan peppercorns. For example, making Mapo Tofu requires Sichuan peppercorns. The tofu is very smooth and tender, and the Sichuan peppercorn noodles can quickly absorb the flavor when mixed into the tofu. Tofu is not easy to pick up alone. It is usually eaten mixed with seasonings. If you use Sichuan peppercorns directly, eat a bite of Sichuan peppercorns and then eat a piece of tofu, the contrast in your mouth will be too great. "Basically, after eating one Sichuan peppercorns, a lot of The taste is gone.” In the past, when dining at the famous old "Chen Mapo Tofu" restaurant in Chengdu, customers had to go to the window to serve their food. I saw red and white dishes sitting on the hot stove, steaming. After the master chef filled a bowl and brought it to you, he would point to the pepper noodles in the bowl next to him and say: "If it's not numb, , add Sichuan peppercorns yourself!" "Put them in first, put them in when they are cooked, use them with noodles and eat them with your mouth." These are the terms used in cooking. "Sequence" refers to the order of cooking. For example, when making braised food, Sichuan peppercorns should be cooked first and stir-fried with peppers, bean paste and other seasonings. When stir-frying seasonal vegetables in Sichuan restaurants, such as water spinach, rapeseed sprouts, Chinese cabbage, pea tips, etc., you need to heat the oil, add peppercorns and dried chili peppers first, and fry them until they are fragrant, then add the vegetables and stir-fry. "Raw" refers to raw peppers, not dried. For example, spicy glutinous frog requires raw peppercorns. Er Mao said that because the frog's meat is so tender, it can only withstand green peppercorns, while the old numbness of dried peppercorns will ruin its taste. “Noodles” refers to Sichuan peppercorns noodles, and Mapo Tofu must use Sichuan peppercorns noodles. "Kou" refers to the knife-edge Sichuan peppercorns, which are chopped with a knife. They are often used in boiled beef and boiled fish. ■ Purchase whole Sichuan peppercorns that are not easy to lose their smell. The main varieties of Sichuan peppercorns include Xiaojiao and Dahongpao from Shanxi; Xiaohongpao and Doujiao from Shaanxi; Zhenglu Sichuan pepper, Jinyang Sichuan pepper, Maowen Sichuan pepper, etc. from Sichuan. Gourmet Ermao believes that the best peppercorns are produced in Sichuan and Shaanxi. The ones with fragrant smell in hemp are the best. The brownish-red ones are the best peppercorns, followed by the brownish-black ones. Zanthoxylum bungeanum is also divided into Fujiao and Qiujiao. Fujiao matures in July and August and is of good quality. Autumn peppers mature in September and October and are of poor quality. He Hongkang, an expert on Sichuan peppercorns, said that if divided according to color, Sichuan peppercorns can be divided into green peppers and red peppers. Green peppers have a numbing taste, while red peppers are not only numbing but also more fragrant. Sichuan people are very particular about buying Sichuan peppercorns, and they like to buy them whole. Firstly, the aroma is easily lost when ground into powder, and secondly, they want to distinguish the quality. ■ Taste: Sichuan peppercorns make Sichuan cuisine more three-dimensional. Foodie Zhang Yuan loves Sichuan cuisine better than Hunan cuisine. He said the difference lies in whether Sichuan peppercorns are used. People's mouths feel numb after being numbed by Sichuan peppercorns, and the feeling after being spicy is like burning. Zhang Yuan believes that dishes with Sichuan peppercorns have a three-dimensional texture, while dishes with only peppers are too monotonous. According to Zhang Yuan’s experience, when eating at a Sichuan restaurant, only when the Sichuan peppercorns are fragrant and numb, allowing all the taste buds on the tongue to open up and prepare for more delicious dishes, does it mean that the restaurant is unambiguous in the use of condiments. When eating hot pot in Chengdu and Chongqing, if you don’t have a high level of spicy food, remember to take out the sea pepper and Sichuan peppercorns floating in the pot with a slotted spoon early, otherwise the hot pot will become spicy as it cooks. ■ Preservation: Zanthoxylum bungeanum oil can be stored for a longer period of time. According to Shi Guanghua, Zanthoxylum bungeanum oil is for preservation. After drying the fresh Sichuan peppercorns, do not store them for a long time. If left for a long time, the Sichuan peppercorns will lose their fragrance and the numbing smell will also be reduced. When it's at its best, it can be refined into oil, which can be used to preserve its aroma and numbing flavor.