Bold and Spicy Sichuan Food
China's Hottest Cuisine

The origins of Sichuan food, and Chinese food in general, can be traced back to the Sung dynasty of A.D. 960-1279. An agricultural revolution at this time introduced diverse ingredients to a rapidly expanding population.

This growing society began to appreciate the pleasures of eating, and a culture of gastronomy emerged. This saw cooks experimenting with regional ingredients, creating a cuisine that went beyond the dull, classical cooking of before. Thus, Sichuan cooking was born.

Sichuan food is the hottest and spiciest of all Chinese cuisines, although it is not the only one with at least a hint of piquancy. In order, in terms of how "hot" they are, come the Gansu, Shaanxi, Hubel, Xinjiang, and Jiangxi cuisines.

The use of chiles in Sichuan cooking, as in other cuisines, is meant to heighten sensations of taste, and open up the palate. Another spice with Sichuan roots is the Sichuan peppercorn, which provides kind of a numbing taste, rather than a piquant one.

The chile is said to have been brought into China from various parts of the world. It entered China during the Ming dynasty, brought in by Chinese traders coming from Manila. Chiles also may have arrived from Spain and Portugal.

The spicy cuisine of Sichuan and neighboring Chinese provinces seems to predate the chile. Pungent spices such as cassia, artemisia, water pepper,and Chinese brown pepper were probably used before the chile arrived. Books from the Han Dynasty of 202 B.C. to A.D 220 show that Hunan had a reputation for highly spiced foods.

The spicy flavors of the Sichuan cuisine seems to have originated from the use of Sichuan peppercorns, ginger, and black pepper, well before the arrival of the chile. However, the potent peppers of Sichuan cooking are the main source of Sichuan heat today, and combined with other ingredients, create one of the bolder and spicier cuisines in the world.

Leave Sichuan Food For Other Classic Hot Zones