Collection: A selection of 'Szechuan <tc>pepper</tc>s'

Zanthoxylum is the Yellowwood genus, a plant genus known not only for its beautiful yellow wood, but especially for its Szechuan pepper, to which Chinese Szechuan cuisine owes its spicy reputation.

The term Szechuan pepper is not used exclusively for the Chinese pepper berries, but also for the berries that grow elsewhere, including those of other plants from this genus, some of which are also used in culinary purposes.

All plants - shrubs and trees - in the genus Zanthoxylum have in common that They are abundantly furnished with spines. Some species even have leaves with spines on them. On the trunk, the spines are often woody and corky, sometimes enormous, and not sharp at all. But on the branches, they are venomous, making harvesting the berries quite a challenge.

The ambiguous name toothache tree is due to the plants by the combination of the appearance relationship of the spines on the trunk to molars, and to the fact that the berries are traditionally used as an anesthetic, including against toothache, and are also sometimes used in toothpaste.

Below are the types of which we have the dried We sell berries in our shop. We provide the Chinese name for each variety, if available:

Zanthoxylum acantapodium - andaliman - 毛剌花椒 máo là huā jiāo

Zanthoxylum armatum - raye timur - 刺花椒 cì huā jiāoma

Zanthoxylum piperitum - sanshō - 日本花椒 rìběn huājiāo - expiring product!

Zanthoxylum bungeanum - flower pepper - 花椒 huājiāo

Zanthoxylum rhetsa/limonella - (Indian) mountain pepper - 胡椒木 hújiāo mù

Zanthoxylum piperitum - Szechuan fagara pepper - ma jiāo

Zanthoxylum zanthoxyloides - igi ata

The Indian mountain pepper is better known as ma khaen, mac khen or trpihal, respectively in Laos, Vietnam and India.