Red Szechuan Pepper Má jiāo (Fagara)

Má jiāo is a powerful pepper, with a clear citrus and lavender aroma, characteristic of Szechuan pepper from China. The berry is smaller and darker than that of the famous dà hóng páo hua jiāo, but in terms of sharpness the two are not different.

This Szechuan pepper is the dried berry of the Zanthoxylum piperitum, one of the many species of tooth pine, called prickley ash in English because of the huge spines on the trunk and branches. The pepper is called Szechuan pepper after the region where it naturally grows, Szechuan, home to one of the ten classic Chinese cuisines. In China it is called the 'tingling pepper', or Má jiāo.

The Zanthoxylum is a plant that can grow into a large tree whose bark is covered with coarse, sometimes lignified spines. The bark therefore appears to be covered with a row of 'molars', hence perhaps the Dutch name toothache tree. In traditional Chinese medicine, the peppers and the root - not surprising given the appearance of the tree - are used to treat toothache.

The ripe berry is picked early in the autumn, as soon as the berries burst open and the rather bitter seeds are released. The seed pods are traditionally dried in the sun, but better varieties are not (anymore). The better quality Szechuan pepper - also this one - contains no or hardly any seeds and no or hardly any stems, and is conditioned dried.

There is a clear taste difference between the smaller berry of the Zanthoxylum piperium and the controlled produced larger berry of the Zanthoxylum bungeanum, dà hóng páo huā jiāo, which we can also offer on a regular basis. On the Chinese market, but also in other Asian countries (and Europe), the small and often darker berry is the most popular, partly because of the lower price. The 'old guard' in China sticks to the taste of this Szechuan, often picked unripe.

The unique sharpness experience of sanshol

Typical for all Zanthoxylum peppers, and therefore also for the Szechuan pepper, 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 sharpness is caused by the amides in the skin of the fruit: α-, β-, γ- and δ-sanshool, α hidroxy sanshool and β-hidroxy sanshool. γ sanshool and α hidroxy sanshool are mainly responsible for the narcotic effect. The amount of α-hidroxy-sanshool in the berries can amount to (more than) 50 ‰ of the dry weight, of γ sanshool around 5 ‰.

Szechuan is known as the sharpest Zanthoxylum pepper. In addition, the Indonesian andaliman - a fairly rare variety - is conveniently forgotten, because this 'batak pepper' is also quite sharp. By the way, ripened berries are sharper than the unripe ones.

The tingling 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 as an anesthetic in traditional medicine in Asia for centuries. Its operation is very complex and the subject of extensive studies. Hydroxy-α-sanshol in particular is said to cause the tingling sensation, and there are certain parallels with the sharpness experience of capsaicin, the pungent substance in chili pepper, but also with menthol and mustard oil.

Smell and taste

The Szechuan berry contains

• linalyl acetate, responsible for a pleasant citrus, bergamot and lavender scent,
• limonene, the scent of lemon peel,
• geraniol, rose fragrance,
• geranyl acetate, lavender fragrance.
• β-pinene, pine resin, en
• linalol, responsible for the scents of rosewood and coriander

A ripe berry contains considerably more linalol, geraniol and geranyl acetate than a green berry.

The aromas develop during the ripening, in red Szechuan pepper citrus and lavender predominate.

Combinations

Szechuan pepper combines excellently with citrus (kafir leaf), sereh, coconut, coriander leaf, curry leaf, exotic fruit, poultry, shellfish and shellfish.

Use

Szechuan pepper occupies a prominent place in classic and modern Szechuan cuisine. It is used in almost every dish, whole or crushed, roasted and/or ground. In Szechuan cuisine it is very common to roast the Szechuan pepper before grinding it. The roasting is meant to bring out the flavor of the sun-dried berries. Roasting is not really necessary for our pepper.

 Szechuan pepper is one of the ingredients of five-spice powder (wǔxiāng fěn).

For those who are not familiar with Szechuan pepper, it is advisable to start with caution and not to eat the pepper raw, unlike the Nepalese timur, for example, which can be eaten raw.

Attributes:

• 100% berries of the Zanthoxylum simulans
• origin: Szechuan, China

Assortment

• available in glass, pouch and test tube
• glass jar contains 30 grams
• standup pouches with a content of up to 30 to 300 grams
• available in 10 ml test tube
• larger quantities on request

Gift Wrap

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

General advice

• Má jiāo is the Szechuan pepper, excellent for use in wok, braise and stew dishes from Chinese Szechuan cuisine
• use Szechuan pepper sparingly, and choose to use the berries whole or ground
  
• allow the Szechuan to absorb moisture well, so that the taste and sharpness integrate optimally

Save:

• keep your szechuan pepper in closed packaging
• preferably store in a dark, dry and cool place
• best before November2025 (11/25)
• this best before date is an indication