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Not wholly related, but interesting: Szechuan (Sichuan) food, which is probably one of the more popular Chinese varieties in the US, has been decidedly non-auth

Not wholly related, but interesting: Szechuan (Sichuan) food, which is probably one of the more popular Chinese varieties in the US, has been decidedly non-authentic for decades due to the omission of huajiao (Sichuan peppercorns), which were illegal to import for decades up to 2004 and restricted until 2017. Only since 2017 have they been fully unrestricted; imports will likely rise over the next while. Huajiao is very unique among Chinese food ingredients. It is the so-called "numbing pepper", which produces a mild numbing feel on the lips and (in my opinion) enhances the spiciness considerably. It's really unfortunate that Americanized Sichuan food has had to do without this spice for nearly 50 years. If you're a fan of spicy food, give real Sichuan food (with the huajiao peppercorns) a try sometime - you might be very surprised at the difference.

andybak 7y ago
Interesting. UK Chinese restaurants used to be mainly Cantonese and spiciness wasn't something I associated with Chinese food. (I'm talking about the 90's or so - I'm in my late 40s) I've recently become enamoured of Szechuan food and the places near to me seem reasonably authentic judging my the unfamiliar ingredients and the predominantly Chinese clientele. And the food is spicy and numbing. I believe the combination is called "Mala" meaning "Hot + cold" which describes it well. Szechuan peppers don't provide heat - they do something very strange to one's taste receptors. Chewing on one is a very peculiar experience a bit like eating something akin to savoury popping candy with a kind of menthol cooling plus a kind of "citrus on steroids" feeling.
- jelliclesfarm 7y ago
  Yes..it’s called neuralogical dissonance. It tricks the brain into thinking that the red chilies are spicier than they really are..usually there is a ratio to red Chilli Pepper and Sichuan pepper for the Mala effect. It is a numbing or tingling effect. It makes us think that the tingling/numbing is due to spice/heat scoville level. This in turn starts a cascade of other symptoms that is involuntary and usually associated with too much spicy heat in the food..like sweating or increased heart rate or eyes watering etc. in pale skinned diners, it makes them really red in the cheeks and fully flushed as tho they are eating Chilli peppers at a very high scoville rating. The interesting thing is that the numbing sensation ‘hijacks’ the neural feedback to the brain which releases a flood of endorphins because there is a cognitive dissonance..because heat/spice level is translated as pain in the brain. It’s the neatest culinary hack. I used to be a chef before I drifted into farming. I take great pleasure in demonstrating this. Another one is Japanese Sansho pepper tree. Also from South America, spilanthese ..these button like flowers(they look like buds..they lack petals). do the same thing. It is also known as toothache plant as its used by herbalists for numbing of the mouth for dental pain/toothaches. I grew them in my farm for some years (I was selling to herbalists) and it was always a hit with school kids on farm tour.
jelliclesfarm 7y ago
I am a fan of ‘Mala’. But it’s not true that it was banned. Growing Sichuan pepper tree was banned for some years due to quarantine rules. At least here in CA, as an Ag state grossing 45 billion/year, it was a risk. Sichuan pepper isn’t a true pepper but it’s of the citrus family. The Asian Psyllid and citrus greening is devastating to CA’s citrus crop and they clamped down hard on citrus crops. The ban was lifted some years ago. Altho the quarantine still exists between counties in CA. Example: I can’t buy a citrus plant from Sonoma county and plant it in my garden in Solano county. And this is even more significant because our vineyards would be devastated and they bring in a lot of $$ even though citrus is relatively small in CA. Only 250k acres. It’s tiny compared to lettuce, strawberries, almonds and pistachios etc. each one of 3-5 billion dollars in state ag income. Japanese sansho is similar. There are many Asian cultivars that give the numbing effect. But Sichuan peppers are my favourite.
- nneonneo 7y ago
  Importing it was banned for several decades from 1968 to 2005, and then until 2017 it had to be heated to a high temperature to be importable (which could damage the culinary properties). Source: https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2017/10/why-its-so-hard-to-get-sichuans-world-famous-peppers-in-america.html https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2017/10/why-its-so-hard-... Yes, it was due to a concern over the huajiao’s potential to carry citrus diseases into the US. I think it’s fair to say it was banned for quite a long time and restricted thereafter.
  - jelliclesfarm 7y ago
    Yes. You are right. But I think there was a loophole where it could be imported if it’s part of a paste or chili oil mixture. Restaurants were able to procure it but not in the form they liked. I was approached by a restaurant group to grow it for them and I couldn’t. I suggested Japanese Sansho to which I had access..but it was just one tree..and it wasn’t an acceptable substitute. And then I tried with spilanthes/toothache plant which is an annual. And they didn’t like it either. But the herbalists co op said that they will take it all and so it wasn’t a complete loss for me. And I grew it for a few years. Sichuan pepper is really an unique taste profile. I would very much like to grow it if possible in the future.
Markoff 7y ago
it's not used even in some Sichuanese restaurants in China, depends on dish not all Sichuanese dishes require it plus even if they use it sometimes it's completely burned not producing the buzz on lips, so you need to find good restaurant which won't burn it for that unique buzz on lips
TurkishPoptart 7y ago
Why were these illegal to import? I hope to eat more huajiao in the near future.
- nneonneo 7y ago
  Huajiao are actually of the citrus family (they aren’t true peppercorns), and for a long time it was feared that they could harbour citrus canker. Since the US has a huge citrus farming industry, an imported disease could be devastating.

andybak 7y ago

Interesting. UK Chinese restaurants used to be mainly Cantonese and spiciness wasn't something I associated with Chinese food. (I'm talking about the 90's or so - I'm in my late 40s) I've recently become enamoured of Szechuan food and the places near to me seem reasonably authentic judging my the unfamiliar ingredients and the predominantly Chinese clientele. And the food is spicy and numbing. I believe the combination is called "Mala" meaning "Hot + cold" which describes it well. Szechuan peppers don't provide heat - they do something very strange to one's taste receptors. Chewing on one is a very peculiar experience a bit like eating something akin to savoury popping candy with a kind of menthol cooling plus a kind of "citrus on steroids" feeling.

jelliclesfarm 7y ago
Yes..it’s called neuralogical dissonance. It tricks the brain into thinking that the red chilies are spicier than they really are..usually there is a ratio to red Chilli Pepper and Sichuan pepper for the Mala effect. It is a numbing or tingling effect. It makes us think that the tingling/numbing is due to spice/heat scoville level. This in turn starts a cascade of other symptoms that is involuntary and usually associated with too much spicy heat in the food..like sweating or increased heart rate or eyes watering etc. in pale skinned diners, it makes them really red in the cheeks and fully flushed as tho they are eating Chilli peppers at a very high scoville rating. The interesting thing is that the numbing sensation ‘hijacks’ the neural feedback to the brain which releases a flood of endorphins because there is a cognitive dissonance..because heat/spice level is translated as pain in the brain. It’s the neatest culinary hack. I used to be a chef before I drifted into farming. I take great pleasure in demonstrating this. Another one is Japanese Sansho pepper tree. Also from South America, spilanthese ..these button like flowers(they look like buds..they lack petals). do the same thing. It is also known as toothache plant as its used by herbalists for numbing of the mouth for dental pain/toothaches. I grew them in my farm for some years (I was selling to herbalists) and it was always a hit with school kids on farm tour.

jelliclesfarm 7y ago

I am a fan of ‘Mala’. But it’s not true that it was banned. Growing Sichuan pepper tree was banned for some years due to quarantine rules. At least here in CA, as an Ag state grossing 45 billion/year, it was a risk. Sichuan pepper isn’t a true pepper but it’s of the citrus family. The Asian Psyllid and citrus greening is devastating to CA’s citrus crop and they clamped down hard on citrus crops. The ban was lifted some years ago. Altho the quarantine still exists between counties in CA. Example: I can’t buy a citrus plant from Sonoma county and plant it in my garden in Solano county. And this is even more significant because our vineyards would be devastated and they bring in a lot of $$ even though citrus is relatively small in CA. Only 250k acres. It’s tiny compared to lettuce, strawberries, almonds and pistachios etc. each one of 3-5 billion dollars in state ag income. Japanese sansho is similar. There are many Asian cultivars that give the numbing effect. But Sichuan peppers are my favourite.

nneonneo 7y ago
Importing it was banned for several decades from 1968 to 2005, and then until 2017 it had to be heated to a high temperature to be importable (which could damage the culinary properties). Source: https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2017/10/why-its-so-hard-to-get-sichuans-world-famous-peppers-in-america.html https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2017/10/why-its-so-hard-... Yes, it was due to a concern over the huajiao’s potential to carry citrus diseases into the US. I think it’s fair to say it was banned for quite a long time and restricted thereafter.
- jelliclesfarm 7y ago
  Yes. You are right. But I think there was a loophole where it could be imported if it’s part of a paste or chili oil mixture. Restaurants were able to procure it but not in the form they liked. I was approached by a restaurant group to grow it for them and I couldn’t. I suggested Japanese Sansho to which I had access..but it was just one tree..and it wasn’t an acceptable substitute. And then I tried with spilanthes/toothache plant which is an annual. And they didn’t like it either. But the herbalists co op said that they will take it all and so it wasn’t a complete loss for me. And I grew it for a few years. Sichuan pepper is really an unique taste profile. I would very much like to grow it if possible in the future.

Markoff 7y ago

it's not used even in some Sichuanese restaurants in China, depends on dish not all Sichuanese dishes require it plus even if they use it sometimes it's completely burned not producing the buzz on lips, so you need to find good restaurant which won't burn it for that unique buzz on lips

TurkishPoptart 7y ago

Why were these illegal to import? I hope to eat more huajiao in the near future.

nneonneo 7y ago
Huajiao are actually of the citrus family (they aren’t true peppercorns), and for a long time it was feared that they could harbour citrus canker. Since the US has a huge citrus farming industry, an imported disease could be devastating.