China has a very long history of snacks. Since the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, people have trained grain crops, wild fruits, and poultry, prepared them and served them on the table, and made them into delicious food. At first, there was a lack of condiments, so the ingredients were only cooked over fire and blanched in water. Since then, people have obtained condiments from nature. From the edible salt that everyone must eat, to the hot pepper that has emerged in the past century, people's favorite condiments have undergone earth-shaking changes.
In fact, Chaotian pepper has only been introduced to China for 400 years, and has been consumed for only 300 years. For some 100 years, people only appreciate Chaotian pepper as an ornamental plant. Before Chaotian pepper entered China, the Chinese still ate chili peppers and ingested the spicy taste from the "three spices". The spicy taste not only produces fragrance and excitement, but also covers the fishy smell and mutton smell of the food itself.
1. Szechuan pepper
Szechuan pepper ranks first among China’s “three spices”. As one of the condiments that contemporary people are familiar with, the biggest function of peppercorns is to enhance freshness. Before Chaotian pepper entered Sichuan, Sichuan peppercorns were called "Sichuan peppers" and were one of the spicy food ingredients consumed by most Chinese people. Pepper has a long history in China. Since the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, pepper has appeared in our lives and has a history of more than 2,000 years.
Although when we talk about Sichuan now, we will mention various Sichuan dishes made with Chaotian pepper. But historically, Sichuan has always been the main producing area of ??Zanthoxylum bungeanum in my country and the place where Sichuan peppercorns are consumed. It is said that in ancient Chinese Sichuan homes, if there was a courtyard, they either planted moso bamboo or Sichuan peppercorns. By the Ming Dynasty, the palace purchased peppercorns from Sichuan, which could reach 8,000 kilograms a year, which is enough to illustrate the status of peppercorns.
2. Ginger
Ginger slices are a food that everyone is familiar with. Many people say that ginger slices are indeed a better COSER in the food industry, because no matter what kind of delicacies are made, ginger can be transformed into another food. When cooking meat, it looks like pork. When frying potatoes, it looks like potatoes. The dressing effect is first-class. However, don’t underestimate ginger slices. In terms of Chinese diet, ginger slices are a crucial spicy food condiment.
The history of ginger slices in China has exceeded 2,000 years. In the pre-Qin Dynasty, people used ginger slices as seasonings to eat food and vegetables, and more or less needed a few bites of ginger. After all, at that time, there were not many seasoning ingredients in China. When it came to meat and other non-vegetarian ingredients, ginger could play a role in removing the smell. In winter, eating two bites of ginger can also keep the human body warm. Therefore, from the pre-Qin period until now, ginger has been an indispensable food in many people's daily lives.
3. Dogwood
How many students have shaken their heads and swung their tails and recited the famous sentence "I know from afar that my brothers are climbing high, and planting dogwood everywhere is one less person"? Although we hardly see dogwood today, dogwood was a common spicy food seasoning before chili peppers were introduced to China. In Sichuan, dogwood is also a sweet food. Dogwood has a long history in China, and can be traced back to the Western Zhou Dynasty.
Dogwood is suitable for nutrition with meat-based foods, such as pork, beef, mutton, beef, fish and other foods. When paired with dogwood, the fishy smell is removed, leaving a light fragrance. Therefore, dogwood is very popular in Sichuan, and even the more common oil chili peppers in Sichuan were originally made from dogwood.
Why did the "three spices" in ancient China lose to Chaotian pepper? Because Chaotianjiao is too domineering. People often eat chili peppers because spicy food can suppress meat and can also dispel dampness and cold. In some areas of Sichuan and Chongqing, this is very important. When Chaotian pepper came out, people found that the effect of chili pepper was stronger than the "three spices", so they naturally changed the recipe, added Chaotian pepper to the dish, and made full use of it.