Sichuan pepper (Hua jiao)

Despite its name, Sichuan pepper is actually not a pepper, but dried berry of a type of ash shrub that has a unique peppery and lemony aroma. It is characterized by its mouth-numbing properties, typical for numerous dishes from the Sichuan province of China.

Sichuan pepper is also one of the five ingredients in the famous Chinese five spice powder. The pepper is often ground or roasted, and is commonly used to make an infused oil. It appears in numerous dishes such as kung pao chicken, bang bang chicken, and dan dan noodles.

Sichuan pepper is often used in various dishes of Indonesian, Nepali, Tibetan, Bhutanese, and Korean origin.