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Szechuan pepper is a dried berry from the Chinese ash tree, with a unique citrus flavor and tingling sensation. It is used in cuisines from China, Japan, Nepal, Tibet, and Bhutan. The spice is made by roasting and grinding the dried berry shells and is often combined with hot chili peppers. The pepper was banned in the US from 1968 to 2005 due to a citrus canker disease but is now allowed if heat-treated before shipping. Different species of Zanthoxylum can produce Szechuan pepper, and it has various names in different regions.
A Szechuan pepper isn’t a pepper at all: it’s a rust-colored dried berry from the Chinese ash tree. This small citrus tree is native to the Sichuan province in southwestern China; the berry, also known as Sichuan pepper, is named after this region. While Sichuan cuisine is often hot and spicy, Szechuan pepper itself is generally milder; it has a unique citrus flavor and can leave a tingling sensation and numbness in the mouth. Szechuan peppers are often used in the cuisines of China, Japan, Nepal, Tibet and Bhutan.
Szechuan pepper spice is made by roasting and grinding the shells of dried berries; large, black seeds are usually discarded along with any stems and thorns. The Japanese also dry and grind the leaves into a powder called sansho, which is often used to flavor soups and noodle dishes. Whole, fresh leaves, known as kinome, can add a mint-lime flavor to bamboo shoots and other greens.
Szechuan peppers are often combined with hot, spicy red chili peppers in authentic Szechuan cuisine; Tea-Smoked Duck, Mapo Tofu and Ma La Hot Pot are popular examples. Ginger, garlic, and star anise also often appear with Szechuan peppers. Chinese five-spice powder is also made from Szechuan peppers, along with star anise, cinnamon, cloves, and fennel.
This Chinese pepper was banned in the United States from 1968 to 2005 because the berry shells can carry an incurable citrus canker disease. This can be a danger to citrus crops but not to humans. During the ban, fans sometimes got smuggled Szechuan peppers, or not; most substitutes lacked similar flavor and effect. This has led to the development of Americanized dishes such as Kung Pao Chicken, which lack the Szechuan peppers found in authentic Chinese recipes. In 2005, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) lifted the ban. They decreed that a Szechuan pepper could be safely imported as long as it was heat treated before shipping: 160 degrees Fahrenheit (71 degrees Celsius) is considered sufficient to kill highly contagious cancer bacteria.
A variety of Zanthoxylum species can produce a Szechuan pepper. These species can grow in parts of China, Japan, the Himalayas, Southeast Asia and North America; only some are used for seasoning, however. Each region seems to have its own name for the fruit: Nepal pepper, Indonesian lemon pepper, and Japanese pepper are common, along with fagara, aniseed pepper, and sprice pepper.
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