Traditions with sichuan pepper

Sichuan pepper, the husk of the prickly ash berry, is not a true pepper. It produces a tingling, numbing sensation on the lips and tongue, called ma, which pairs with the heat of chilli, la, in the famous ma la taste of Sichuan cooking. It is also used in Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet, where it is called timur, and in Japan, as sansho. These pages describe where it features and how it is used in customs.

Where it is used

In Sichuan, it is in mapo tofu, hot pot, dan dan noodles and the cold dishes of banquets. In Nepal, timur is ground into pickles and chutneys, and in Bhutan, ema datshi, the chilli and cheese national dish, is spiced with it. In Japan, sansho is sprinkled over grilled eel, unagi. In Tibet and Himalayan trade it has been valued for centuries.

What it means

The numbing sensation is regarded by many as a pleasure and a mark of a skilled cook. A Sichuan banquet is judged by the balance of its seven flavours. In Japan, a pinch of sansho on eel in summer is part of the midsummer custom of eating eel on the Day of the Ox. Eating the hottest and most numbing dishes is also social, a shared adventure.