Sichuan pepper

Sichuan pepper is one of the oldest staple spices used in Chinese cooking. It is technically not a pepper at all but rather the berries from the prickly ash tree native to the Sichuan province of China. The reddish brown berries are dried after picking and are husked to remove small, bitter black seeds before crushing. Sichuan pepper, also known as fagara or Chinese pepper, has a spicy, earthy flavour and produces a slight numbing effect when eaten. It is used in spice preparations — for example, Chinese Five-spice Powder — and is often combined with dried orange peel and star anise, and is used to flavour sauces and master stocks for red-braising. To maximise flavour, dry-roast Sichuan pepper before grinding. Available: Asian food stores.