Green Szechuanpepper Qīng huā jiāo

This green huā jiāo, fully 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 hotpot and noodle dishes.

The new harvest is in!

This Szechuanpepper is the dried, unripe berry of Zanthoxylum bungeanum, one of the many species of toothache tree, called prickly ash in English because of the enormous thorns on the trunk and branches. The pepper becomes Szechuanpepper Named after the region where it grows naturally, Szechuan, the home of 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 whose bark is covered with coarse, sometimes woody spines. As a result, the bark appears covered with a row of 'teeth', hence perhaps the Dutch name 'kiespijnboom' (toothache tree). In traditional Chinese medicine, the peppers and the root—not surprisingly given the appearance of the tree—used to combat toothache.

The greencurrant is picked early in the 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 conditioned air-dried (air-dried -AD).

There is a distinct taste difference between the larger berry of Zanthoxylum bungeanum and the average smaller berry of Zanthoxylum piperitum, which makes the former very popular among 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 the generally lower price. The 'old guard' in China also sticks 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 therefore also for this Szechuanpepper is the tingling you experience on the tip of your tongue caused by a substance in the pepper which is called sanshool, named after the Japanese sanshō. The pungency is caused by the amides in the skin of the fruit: α-, β-, γ- and δ-sanshool, α-hydroxy sanshool and β-hydroxy sanshool. γ-sanshool and α-hydroxy sanshool are primarily responsible for the narcotic effect. The amount of α-hydroxy sanshool in the berries can reach (well over) 50‰ of the dry weight, while that of γ-sanshool is around 5‰.

Szechuan is known as the sharpest Zanthoxylumpepper. In doing so, the Indonesian andaliman – a fairly rare species – is conveniently forgotten, because this 'Batakpepper' is also quite sharp. By the way, ripe berries are sharper than unripe ones.

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

Scent and taste

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

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

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

Combinations

Szechuanpepper Pairs excellently with citrus (kaffir lime leaves), lemongrass, coconut, coriander leaves, curry leaves, exotic fruit, poultry, crustaceans, and shellfish.

Usage

Szechuanpepper occupies a prominent place in classic 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 the Szechuanpepper to roast them before grinding them. The roasting is intended to 'play' with the aromas.

Something peculiar is occurring at Szechuan. pepper.

The preparation temperature determines the flavor profile of Szechuan.pepper. To bring out the aromas of 1,8-cineol (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 is required. At low temperatures (below 40 degrees), aromas such as myrcene (balsamic), limonene (citric), and hexanal (grassy) will predominate. The same spice, a different taste effect.

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

For those not familiar with Szechuanpepper is known, it is advisable to start with caution, and the pepper not edible raw, unlike the Nepalese timur and the Vietnamese and Laotian mountainpeppers for example, which can safely 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 packaging

• The jar is available in 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 especially in wok dishes and hot pots
  
• use this Szechuanpepper sparingly, and choose for yourself whether to use the berries whole or ground.
  
• Allow the berries to absorb plenty of moisture so that the flavor and sharpness are optimally utilized, and play with the heat (see above).
  

Save:

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

Do you want to know how this Does Szechuan taste good?

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

Batch number

The batch number helps us trace which supply an item originated from. It is listed on the packing slip and the invoice.