Sichuan Pepper
| Sichuan pepper | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Chinese | 花椒 | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Literal meaning | "flower pepper" | ||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
| Transcriptions | |
|---|---|
| Standard Mandarin | |
| Hanyu Pinyin | huājiāo |
| Wade–Giles | hua1-chiao1 |
| IPA | [xwá.tɕjáu] |
| Yue: Cantonese | |
| Yale Romanization | fāa-jīu |
| Jyutping | faa1-ziu1 |
| Southern Min | |
| Tâi-lô | hua-tsiau |
Sichuan pepper, Sichuan peppercorn, or Chinese coriander, is a commonly used spice in Chinese, Tibetan, Nepali, and Indian cuisine. It is derived from at least two species of the global genus Zanthoxylum, including Z. simulans and Z. bungeanum. The botanical name comes from the Greek xanthon xylon (ξανθὸν ξύλον), meaning "blond wood". It refers to the brightly coloured sapwood possessed by several of the species. The genus Zanthoxylum belongs in the rue or citrus family, and, despite its name, is not closely related to either black pepper or the chili pepper.
The husk or hull (pericarp) around the seeds may be used whole, especially in Sichuan cuisine, and the finely ground powder is one of the ingredients for five-spice powder. It is also used in traditional Chinese medicine. The pericarp is most often used, but the leaves of various species are also used in some regions of China.
Another species of Zanthoxylum native to China, Z. schinifolium, called 香椒子 (xiāng jiāo zi, "aromatic peppercorn") or 青花椒 (qīng huā jiāo, "green flower pepper"), is used as a spice in Hebei.
While the exact flavour and composition of different species from the Zanthoxylum genus vary, most share the same essential characteristics. So, while the terms "Sichuan pepper" and sanshō may refer specifically to Z. simulans and Z. piperitum, respectively, the two are commonly used interchangeably.
...
Wikipedia