Szechuan pepper | whole | green

Although travellers to Asia like Marco Polo brought the first Szechuan fruits with them to Europe centuries ago, this unique spice was hardly noticed outside Europe. This changed increasingly in the last years, Szechuan and other representatives of the genus Zanthoxylum (Timut, Sansho, Andaliman, Cumeo, Bhutan pepper) quickly gained popularity. This ¨unechten¨ pepper is named after the Chinese province of Sichuan, where it is native. It usually grows wild on bushes and shrubs up to high mountain regions, but is now also cultivated. In addition to the much better known reddish-brown variant of Szechuan pepper, there is also green Szechuan pepper. For this variety the berries are harvested shortly before full ripeness. Green Szechuan pepper only has a mild pungency, an intense citrus note with nuances of grapefruit, and a tingling sensation with a slightly numbing effect on the tongue. It tastes somewhat more robust and earthy than the red version. Green Szechuan pepper is an excellent accompaniment to chicken, fish or Asian dishes. It harmonises wonderfully with other types of pepper and gives a lemony-fresh note to spice mixtures. Dark chocolate or exotic fruit salad, perfumed with a pinch of freshly mortared green Szechuan, become an extravagant taste experience.