花椒
Sichuan Pepper
Sichuan pepper (Chinese: 花椒; pinyin: huājiāo), also
Szechuan pepper, Chinese prickly ash, Chinese pepper, rattan
pepper, and mala pepper is a spice commonly
used in the Sichuan cuisine of China's southwestern Sichuan Province.
It's used in many famous Chinese dishes like
Mapo Tofu ,
Chongqing hotpot
and many more.
When eaten it produces a tingling, numbing effect
that enhances the spiciness of chilis.
Despite its name, Sichuan pepper is not closely related to either black pepper or chili pepper. It belongs to the global genus Zanthoxylum in the family Rutaceae, which includes citrus and rue.