Why is Sichuan pepper so spicy?

Spicy and spicy. Spicy and spicy are always associated together. The balance between spicy and spicy is the soul of Sichuan cuisine. As an indispensable seasoning in Sichuan cuisine, for those who are not used to eating Sichuan peppercorns, if they accidentally eat Sichuan peppercorns, their tongues will feel very numb, and even numb to the point of tears. For those who like to eat Sichuan peppercorns, after eating them, they will feel very refreshing and comfortable. The more they eat, the more addicted they become. The more they eat, the more they want to eat. Why does Sichuan peppercorns make themselves so numb? Where does its numbness come from?

Why does Sichuan peppercorns taste spicy?

Sichuan pepper is the peel of the plant of the genus Zanthoxylum of the Rutaceae family. It is native to central and western my country and is a spice unique to my country. The earliest written record of Sichuan pepper was in the Book of Songs, indicating that the Chinese people had already used Sichuan pepper more than 2,000 to 3,000 years ago. Although Sichuan pepper is small in size, it is very powerful. It is not only a traditional food seasoning used in our daily life, known as one of the "eight major seasonings", but also a traditional Chinese medicine. It has the effects of warming the middle and dispelling cold, removing dampness and relieving pain, killing insects and detoxifying, removing fishy smell, relieving greasiness, promoting saliva secretion, increasing appetite, and dilating blood vessels, thereby lowering blood pressure.

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The numbing taste of Sichuan pepper is mainly produced by amide substances, mainly unsaturated fatty acid amides, including various types of sanshool and pepper. They are mainly found in the bumps on the surface of Sichuan pepper fruit. When we bite into Sichuan pepper, we feel a special numbing feeling, which is actually because we bite through the bumps on the surface of the Sichuan pepper, causing the Sichuan pepper oil containing pepper numbing elements to seep out.

Classification of Sichuan pepper

my country is rich in pepper resources, with more than 50 kinds of pepper, and its planting area, output and pepper varieties are ranked first in the world. According to the color of pepper fruit, it can be divided into red pepper and green pepper. According to the flavor, it can be divided into green fragrance, wormwood fragrance and orange fragrance. According to the shape of pepper, it can be roughly divided into lion head, Dahongpao, big pepper (oil pepper), small pepper, rice pepper and bean pepper. According to geographical distribution, it can be divided into six major regions: Yunnan (green pepper), Sichuan (green pepper in Jinyang, green pepper in Jiangjin, Hanyuan pepper, Maowen pepper), Shaanxi (Dahongpao and Feng pepper in Hancheng), Gansu (Fu pepper and Qiu pepper), Shandong (big pepper and small pepper), Hebei (big pepper and small pepper).

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Pepper Selection

There are four main steps to choosing peppercorns, which are to look, pinch, smell, and taste. First, look at the appearance, mainly the color of the peppercorns, the size of the peppercorns, the number of openings, and the presence of impurities. The more small bumps on the surface of the peppercorns, the more fragrant and spicy the peppercorns are. Secondly, pinch them to feel whether the peppercorns are dry. Dry peppercorns will make a "rustling" sound when pinched. Then smell the odor. Grab a handful of peppercorns and hold them for a moment. If you can smell the aroma of the peppercorns, rather than the smell of mold or other miscellaneous smells, it means that the peppercorns are good. Finally, taste them. Take a peppercorn at random, bite it open with your teeth, feel it with the tip of your tongue, then bite it a few times and spit it out. At this time, you can carefully consider whether the peppercorns have abnormal tastes such as bitterness and astringency. Only those with pure spicy taste can be called top-grade.

When purchasing peppercorns, you also need to determine whether the peppercorns are adulterated. Adulterators will not only add impurities to increase the weight of the peppercorns, but some will also dye inferior peppercorns to make them more colorful.

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Preservation of pepper

It is not an easy task to preserve Sichuan peppercorns. If they are not properly preserved, they will not only change color and taste easily, but also rot and deteriorate easily. Cut off the extra branches of the purchased Sichuan peppercorns, wash them in water, wipe them clean, put them in a ventilated and cool place, and dry them in the sun to dry the moisture on the surface. Note that during the drying process, do not expose them to the sun, just dry them in a cool place. Then divide the fresh peppercorns into several portions, put them into a fresh-keeping bag, then add an appropriate amount of boiled water into the fresh-keeping bag, and then seal it. Then put it in the refrigerator and freeze it.

When eating, just take it out and put it in the pot with the peppercorns and ice, and it will thaw naturally. Moreover, the fresh peppercorns preserved in this way are still very fresh and fragrant, much better than dried peppercorns. Learn this preservation technique, and buy more fresh peppercorns in the future. You can preserve them and eat them fresh even during the Chinese New Year.

Written by: Lao Ke Kai Brain Hole

This article is produced by Science Popularization China-Starry Sky Project (Creation and Cultivation). Please indicate the source when reprinting.