Sichuan cuisine

Sichuan in the Middle Ages welcomed Middle Eastern crops, such as broad beans, sesame and walnuts. Since the 16th century, the list of major crops in Sichuan has even been lengthened by New World newcomers. The characteristic chili pepper came from Mexico, but probably overland from India or by river from Macau, complementing the traditional Sichuan peppercorn (花椒; huājiāo). Other newcomers from the New World included maize (corn), which largely replaced millet; white potatoes introduced by Catholic missions; and sweet potatoes. The population of Sichuan was cut by perhaps three quarters in the wars from the Ming dynasty to the Qing dynasty. Settlers from the adjacent Hunan Province brought their cooking styles with them.[4]

Sichuan is colloquially known as the "heavenly country" due to its abundance of food and natural resources. One ancient Chinese account declared that the "people of Sichuan uphold good flavour, and they are fond of hot and spicy taste." Most Sichuan dishes are spicy, although a typical meal includes non-spicy dishes to cool the palate. Sichuan cuisine is composed of seven basic flavours: sour, pungent, hot, sweet, bitter, aromatic and salty. Sichuan food is divided into five different types: sumptuous banquet, ordinary banquet, popularised food, household-style food and snacks. Milder versions of Sichuan dishes remain a staple of American Chinese cuisine.[5]

A chili hot pot characteristic of Sichuan cuisine

The complex topography of Sichuan Province, including its mountains, hills, plains, plateaus and the Sichuan Basin, has shaped its food customs with versatile and distinct ingredients.

Abundant rice and vegetables are produced from the fertile Sichuan Basin, whereas a wide variety of herbs, mushrooms and other fungi prosper in the highland regions. Pork is overwhelmingly the most common type of meat consumed.[4] Beef is somewhat more common in Sichuan cuisine than it is in other Chinese cuisines, perhaps due to the prevalence of oxen in the region.[6] Sichuan cuisine also uses various bovine and porcine organs as ingredients, such as intestine, arteries, head, tongue, skin and liver, in addition to other commonly used portions of the meat. Rabbit meat is also much more popular in Sichuan than elsewhere in China. It is estimated that the Sichuan Basin and Chongqing area are responsible for about 70 percent of China's total rabbit meat consumption.[7] Yoghurt, which probably spread from India through Tibet in medieval times, is consumed among the Han Chinese. This is an unusual custom in other parts of the country. The salt produced from Sichuan salt springs and wells, unlike sea salt, does not contain iodine, which led to goiter problems before the 20th century.[4]

Sichuan cuisine often contains food preserved through pickling, salting and drying. Preserved dishes are generally served as spicy dishes with heavy application of chili oil.

The most unique and important spice in Sichuan cuisine is the Sichuan pepper (花椒; huājiāo; 'flower pepper'). Sichuan peppercorn has an intense fragrant, citrus-like flavour and produces a "tingly-numbing" (麻; má) sensation in the mouth. Other commonly used spices in Sichuan cuisine are garlic, chili peppers, ginger and star anise.

Broad bean chili paste (豆瓣酱; 豆瓣醬; dòubànjiàng) is one of the most important seasonings.[4] It is an essential component to famous dishes such as Mapo tofu and double-cooked pork slices. Sichuan cuisine is the origin of several prominent sauces/flavours widely used in modern Chinese cuisine, including:

• Yuxiang (魚香)
• Mala (麻辣)
• Guaiwei (怪味)

Common preparation techniques in Sichuan cuisine include stir frying, steaming and braising, but a complete list would include more than 20 distinct techniques.

Although many dishes live up to their spicy reputation, there is a large percentage of recipes that use little to no hot spices at all, including dishes such as tea-smoked duck.

English	Image	Traditional Chinese	Simplified Chinese	Pinyin	Notes
Ants climbing a tree		螞蟻上樹	蚂蚁上树	mǎyǐ shàng shù	So called because the dish has bits of ground meat clinging to noodles, evoking an image of ants walking on twigs
Bon bon chicken		棒棒雞	棒棒鸡	bàngbàng jī
Braised pork ribs with konjac		魔芋燒排骨	魔芋烧排骨	móyù shāo páigǔ
Chili Oil Wontons		紅油抄手	红油抄手	hóng yóu chāoshǒu
Dandan noodles		擔擔麵	担担面	dàndàn miàn
Fish with pickled mustard greens		酸菜魚	酸菜鱼	suān cài yú	Shredded chicken breast, pork, or any other meat ingredients can be substituted for the fish fillets.
Fragrant and spicy fish slices		香辣魚片	香辣鱼片	xiāng là yú piàn
Hot and sour noodles		酸辣麵	酸辣面	suān là miàn	Typically a vegetarian noodle dish primarily made with brassica juncea, vinegar, hot oil, and soy sauce. It has different flavors such as sour, sweet, fragrant, spicy and salty. Commonly is for breakfast but also a popular street snack in Sichuan, Yunnan, and Hubei.
Hot and sour noodle soup		酸辣肉絲湯麵	酸辣肉丝汤面	suān là ròu sī tāngmiàn	A noodle soup dish primarily made with the ingredients of brassica juncea, stir-fried shredded meat, noodle, and broth.
Kung Pao beef tendon		宮保牛筋	宫保牛筋	gōngbǎo niú jīn
Kung Pao chicken		宮保雞丁	宫保鸡丁	gōngbǎo jīdīng	Beef or lamb can be substituted for the chicken.
Mao xue wang		毛血旺	毛血旺	máo xuě wàng	A traditional dish from Chongqing made from pig's blood, tripe, duck's blood, ham and chicken gizzard. Beansprouts, chili, Sichuan peppercorn, sesame and other spices are often added as seasoning.
Mapo doufu		麻婆豆腐	麻婆豆腐	mápó dòufǔ	Literally "pockmarked granny's tofu"
Sliced beef/beef tripe/ox tongue in chili sauce		夫妻肺片	夫妻肺片	fūqī fèipiàn	Literally "husband and wife lung pieces"
Shredded chicken cold noodles		雞絲涼麵	鸡丝凉面	jī sī liáng miàn
Shredded pork in garlic sauce		魚香肉絲	鱼香肉丝	yúxiāng ròusī	Literally "sliced pork with fish aroma"
Sichuan hotpot		四川火鍋	四川火锅	Sìchuān huǒguō
Stir Fried Green Beans[8]		乾煸四季豆	干煸四季豆	gān biān sìjì dòu	Also known as "Dry Fried Green Beans,"[9] "Dry Fried String Beans,"[10] "Sichuan Style Green Beans,"[11] "Szechuan Dry Fried Green Beans"[12] or "Spicy Green Beans"[13]
Spicy deep-fried chicken		辣子雞	辣子鸡	làzǐjī
Tea-smoked duck		樟茶鴨	樟茶鸭	zhāngchá yā
Three pepper chicken		三椒煸雞	三椒煸鸡	sān jiāo biān jī
Twice cooked pork		回鍋肉	回锅肉	huíguōròu	Literally "meat returning to the pot"
Water-cooked meat		水煮肉	水煮肉	shuǐzhǔ ròu

• Hunan cuisine
• Chen Kenmin
• Chen Kenichi
• List of Chinese dishes

• Fuchsia Dunlop. Land of Plenty : A Treasury of Authentic Sichuan Cooking. New York: W.W. Norton, 2003. ISBN 0393051773.
• Fuchsia Dunlop. Shark's Fin and Sichuan Pepper: A Sweet-Sour Memoir of Eating in China. (New York: Norton, 2008). ISBN 9780393066579. The author's experience and observations, especially in Sichuan.
• Jung-Feng Chiang, Ellen Schrecker and John E. Schrecker. Mrs. Chiang's Szechwan Cookbook : Szechwan Home Cooking. New York: Harper & Row, 1987. ISBN 006015828X.
• Eugene Anderson. "Sichuan (Szechuan) Cuisine," in Solomon H. Weaver William Woys Katz. Encyclopedia of Food and Culture. (New York: Scribner, 2003; ISBN 0684805685). Vol I pp. 393–395.
• Lu Yi, Du li. China Sichuan Cuisine (Chinese and English) Bilingual . Sichuan Publishing House of Science and Technology, 2010. ISBN 9787536469648.

• NPR story on Sichuan cuisine and a cookbook about the cuisine