Sichuan peppercorns, or huājiāo (flower pepper) are a tiny pink or green spice. Their Chinese name comes from their resemblance to an open flower when dried; their English name refers to their ubiquity in Sichuanese cooking. Despite the name ‘peppercorn’, Sichuan peppercorns are actually seed pods, and come from a tree in the citrus family.

Although the peppercorns have a very distinctive flavour and scent – citrusy and piquant – they are most notorious for the ‘numbing’ sensation they produce. A chemical in the peppercorns called hydroxy-alpha sanshool creates a buzzing sensation on the lips and in the mouth when eaten, called má in Chinese. The higher quality the peppercorn, the more intense the buzz.

For many years it has been difficult to get high quality peppercorns outside of China, and exported peppercorns still tend to have a mere fraction of the fragrance and numbing potency of their local counterparts. High quality peppercorns should of course be fragrant and numbing, but also free from tiny black seeds, which are bitter and grainy, and make the peppercorns awkward to grind into powder.

Sichuan peppercorns can be infused into oils, toasted and used whole or ground, or mixed with salt. Green Sichuan pepper oil is becoming more widely available in the UK too and is a convenient way to get some of the pepper’s addictive má and fragrance into your cooking without needing a spice grinder.

Check out our full collection of Sichuan peppercorn recipes below.