Green Szechuan<tc>pepper</tc> Qīng huā jiāo

This green huā jiāo, in full Qīng huā jiāo, is a special Szechuan pepperIt is characterized by a fresh lemon aroma, which pairs well with fish, chicken, and vegetables. It is primarily used in hot pot and noodle dishes.

New harvest has arrived!

This Szechuanpepper is the dried, unripe berry of the Zanthoxylum bungeanum, one of the many species of toothache tree, called prickley ash in English because of the enormous spines on the trunk and branches. The pepper becomes Szechuanpepper Named after the region where it grows naturally, Szechuan, home to one of the ten classic Chinese cuisines. The berry is larger than that of Zanthoxylum piperatum.

The Zanthoxylum is a plant that can grow into a large tree, the bark of which is covered with coarse, sometimes woody spines. The bark appears to be covered with a row of "teeth," perhaps hence the Dutch name "toothache tree." In traditional Chinese medicine, the peppers and the root - not surprisingly given the appearance of the tree - is used to combat toothache.

The green berry is picked in early autumn, well before the berries burst open and the rather bitter seeds are released. The berries are traditionally sun-dried. The better quality Szechuanpepper - like this one - contains no or hardly any seeds and no or hardly any stems, and is air-dried (AD).

There is a clear difference in taste between the larger berry of Zanthoxylum bungeanum and the generally smaller berry of Zanthoxylum piperitum, making the former very popular with Asian chefs. In the Chinese consumer market, but also in other Asian countries (and Europe), the small and often darker berry is the most sought-after, partly due to its generally lower price. Even the "old guard" in China clings to the taste of this widely available Szechuan.pepper, but with a preference for the unripe, green ones.

The unique sharpness experience of sanshol

Characteristic of all Zanthoxylumpeppers, and so also for this Szechuanpepper is the tingling you experience on the tip of your tongue due to a substance in the pepper called sanshool, named after the Japanese sanshō. The pungency is caused by the amides in the fruit's peel: α-, β-, γ-, and δ-sanshool, α-hidroxy sanshool, and β-hidroxy sanshool. The numbing effect is primarily caused by γ sanshool and α-hidroxy sanshool. The amount of α-hidroxy sanshool in the berries can amount to (well over) 50‰ of the dry weight, while γ sanshool accounts for around 5‰.

Szechuan is considered the sharpest Zanthoxylumpepper. In this context, the Indonesian andaliman - a relatively rare species - is conveniently forgotten, because this 'Batakpepper' is also quite sharp. Incidentally, ripe berries are sharper than unripe ones.

The tingling sensation is accompanied by a slight numbness, jokingly compared to tasting a 9-volt battery. A single berry is enough to experience that! This somatosensation, stimulation by touch, has been used for centuries as an anesthetic in traditional Asian medicine. Its effects are very complex and the subject of extensive studies. Hydroxy-α-sanshol, in particular, is said to cause the tingling, and there are certain parallels with the pungency experienced with capsaicin, the pungent substance in chili peppers.pepper, but also with menthol and mustard oil.

Smell and taste

The Szechuan berry contains 83 volatile oils, the flavour-determining of which are:

• linalyl acetate, responsible for a pleasant citrus, bergamot and lavender scent,
• limonene, the scent of lemon peel,
• linalool, responsible for the scents of rosewood and lavender
  
• geraniol, rose scent,
• geranyl acetate, lavender fragrance.
• β-pinene, pine resin, and
• 1.8 cineole or eucalyptol, camphoraceous
  

A ripe berry contains significantly more linalool, geraniol and geranyl acetate – the rose components – than a green berry.

Combinations

Szechuanpepper combines excellently with citrus (kafir leaf), lemongrass, coconut, coriander leaf, curry leaf, exotic fruits, poultry, shellfish and shells.

Usage

Szechuanpepper occupies a prominent place in both classical and modern Szechuan cuisine. It is used in virtually every dish, whole or crushed, roasted and/or ground. In Szechuan cuisine, it is very common to use Szechuanpepper To roast before grinding. Roasting is intended to "play" with the aromas.

There is something strange happening in Szechuan pepper.

The cooking temperature determines the flavor palette of Szechuanpepper. To bring out the aromas of 1,8-cineole (mint and sweet), linalool (floral and lavender), 2-phenylethanol (honey, spices, rose, and lilac), 4-methylacetophenone (bitter almond), and transcarveol (caraway), a temperature above 70 degrees Celsius is required. At low temperatures (below 40 degrees Celsius), aromas such as myrcene (balsamic), limonene (citric), and hexanal (grassy) will predominate. Same spice, different flavor effect.

Szechuanpepper is one of the ingredients in five-spice powder (wǔxiāng fěn). Not in our range.

For those who don't know Szechuanpepper is known, it is advisable to start with caution, and the pepper not to be eaten raw, unlike the Nepalese timur and the Vietnamese and Lao mountainpeppers for example, which can easily be eaten raw.

Features:

• 100% berries of the Zanthoxylum bungeanum - opening rate 90% (seed poor)
• origin: Hunan

Assortment

• available in glass (30 grams), stand-up pouch and test tube (10 ml)
• larger quantities on request

Gift wrapping

• The jar is available in a tasteful gift packaging, consisting of a cube box filled with black tissue paper.
• For an overview of our gift packaging, please refer to the gift packaging section.

General advice

• qīng huā jiāo is the Szechuanpepper ideal for stir-fries and hot pots
  
• use this szechuanpepper sparingly, and choose whether to use the berries whole or ground
  
• allow the berry to absorb moisture well, so that the flavour and sharpness are optimally utilised, and play with heat (see this)
  

Save:

• save your szechuanpepper in closed packaging
• preferably store in a dark, dry and cool place
• batch HU570388 - best before September 2028 (09-2028)
• This expiration date is an indication

Would you like to know how this what does szechuan taste like?

You can also try a test tube. The tube contains sufficient pepper to fathom the essence of taste.

Batch number

The batch number helps us track which batch an item originates from. It's listed on the packing slip and invoice.