Szechwan peppercorn

Name Variations

 * Sichuan peppercorn
 * Szechuan peppercorn
 * anise pepper
 * brown peppercorn
 * Chinese aromatic pepper
 * Chinese pepper
 * flower pepper
 * sancho
 * Japanese pepper
 * Japan pepper
 * wild pepper
 * fagara pepper

About Szechwan peppercorn
Wikipedia Article About Sichuan peppercorn on Wikipedia

Sichuan pepper (or Szechuan pepper) is the outer pod of the tiny fruit of a number of species in the genus Zanthoxylum (most commonly Zanthoxylum piperitum, Zanthoxylum simulans, and Zanthoxylum sancho), widely grown and consumed in Asia as a spice. Despite the name, it is not related to black pepper. It is widely used in the cuisine of Sichuan, China, from which it takes its name, as well as Tibetan, Bhutani, and Japanese cuisines, among others.

It is known in Chinese as 花椒, pinyin: huājiāo, literally "flower pepper"; a lesser-used name is 山椒 shānjiāo, "mountain pepper" (not to be confused with Tasmanian mountain pepper). In Japanese, it is 山椒 sanshō, using the same Chinese characters as shanjiao. In Tibetan, it is known as emma.

Native to the Szechuan province of China, this mildly hot spice comes from the prickly ash tree. Though not related to the Peppercorn family, Szechuan berries resemble black peppercorns but contain a tiny seed. Szechuan pepper has a distinctive flavor and fragrance. It can be found in Asian markets and specialty stores in whole or powdered form. Whole berries are often heated before being ground to bring out their tantalizing flavor and aroma. Szechuan pepper is also known as anise pepper, Chinese pepper, fagara, flower pepper, sansho and Sichuan pepper.