Sichuan pepper

Zanthoxylum piperitum

Szechuan pepper ( Zanthoxylum piperitum ), also Japanese pepper, Chinese pepper Anispfeffer or called, a plant belonging to the family Rutaceae is ( Rutaceae ). It provides a piquant -tasting spice and is not affiliated with the Black pepper ( Piper nigrum) related. Other species of the genus Zanthoxylum, Zanthoxylum eg schinifolium be called Szechuan pepper.

The genus Zanthoxylum, to which the various species known as Szechuan pepper are counted, belongs to the family Rutaceae, so it is with the citrus plants (Citrus ) related. The genus name can be translated as " yellow wood " and so describes one of the characteristics of the plants; " Yellow Wood " listed a number of different types of genres.

The name Szechuan pepper is derived from the central Chinese province of Sichuan, where it is native and is often used in the kitchen. As with the province of different spellings such as Sichuan, Sichuan or Szetschuanpfeffer are common. In the German -speaking world, the name mountain pepper, Chinese pepper or Japanese pepper are needed.

Description

Zanthoxylum piperitum grow as shrubs that are often heavily spined; they reach stature heights of up to 2 m and plant diameter of 2 m.

Zanthoxylum piperitum is dioecious getrenntgeschlechtig ( dioecious ), so there is at least one male and one female plant needed for seeds to ripen. The flowers appear from April to June and the fruits are mature in about August.

Dissemination

The plant species of the genus Zanthoxylum are found throughout Asia, but are not widely grown as a crop. The main distribution area is mainly located in the Himalayan region. As a spice Szechuan pepper is mainly used in central China, Tibet, Japan and Korea used. Fewer large deposits are found in African and American countries. Chinese names are Huajiao (花椒; pepper flowers or flower pepper), Shanjiao (山椒; mountain pepper ), Chuanjiao (川椒; Sichuan pepper) or qínjiāo (秦 椒; Chinese pepper). Chinese Shanjiao is also the Japanese and Korean Sansho sancho ( 산초 ) basis ( the Korean name refers to the type Zanthoxylum schinifolium ).

Use

As a spice, the dried and freed from the seed pods are most commonly used. The round capsules are wrinkled reddish brown to black in color and strong. Harvest the mature fruits of Szechuanpfeffers is in August, the fruits are then dried at 40 to 60 ° C. Some of the seed pods are ground and used as a spice powder. Usually, however, the whole seed capsules are sold and ground just before the preparation of the dishes themselves.

Characteristic is the tingling taste, which causes a feeling of numbness in the lips and tongue. The substances responsible for this perception are different amides, which account for up to three percent of the ingredients of the seed capsules. Szechuan pepper is often mistakenly referred to as sharp. This probably stems from the fact that it is often used in dishes that contain hot peppers. In Chinese, the flavor that results from the combination of Sichuan pepper and hot paprika, ie as Mala (麻 辣) " Numbing and spicy " means. This flavor is just the Sichuan cuisine its independent character. Representative dishes are the hot pot (Chinese火锅/火锅, Pinyin Huǒguō ), Dandan Mian (担 担 面, Dandan mian, noodles with spicy sauce), Spicy Beef (水煮 牛肉, Shuǐ Zhǔ Niúròu ) and Mapo bean cheese (麻 婆 豆腐, Má pó Dòufǔ, tofu with minced meat). Szechuan pepper is also a component of the spice mixture five-spice powder.

Unripe fruits, leaves and flowers of the plant are mainly used in Japanese cuisine. The young and fresh leaves are soaked and mixed with miso paste as Kinome (木の芽) refers. Kinome is often used as a garnish on soups and other dishes. For the spice paste Misansho immature fruits are boiled with salt. This paste is mainly used for the preparation of fish to mitigate the possibly unpleasant fishy odor.

Szechuan pepper is also used in traditional Chinese medicine. In Germany, the plant is sold designed as a bonsai.

Import ban in the U.S.

From 1968 to 2005, the import of Szechuan pepper in the U.S. by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA ) was prohibited. So the further spread of bacterial infection of citrus fruits (lemon cancer) should be slowed down. The emergence of new pathogen variants should be prevented. Since lemon cancer so far can not be treated and thus threatens the citrus and orange industry in Florida, an outbreak of infection would be disastrous for the local economy. Recently, the restrictions imposed by the FDA and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA ) have been relaxed so that Szechuan pepper, which was heated to about 70 ° C, may be reintroduced into the United States.