Sichuan pepper and green Sichuan pepper look very much alike; here's how to tell them apart

Summary: Sichuan pepper and green Sichuan pepper look very much alike; how to distinguish the two

In the north, especially in rural areas of Henan, the most common tree is the Sichuan pepper tree, with almost every household growing one or two in their yard, while green Sichuan pepper trees are rather uncommon. As two kinds of seasoning, the most commonly used in daily life is ground Sichuan pepper, while green Sichuan pepper is used relatively less. However, the popularity of Sichuan pepper and green Sichuan pepper as seasonings still varies by region; for example, in Sichuan and Shaanxi, both green Sichuan pepper and Sichuan pepper may be used more, especially in Sichuan, where hotpot flavor relies entirely on Sichuan pepper and green Sichuan pepper. So what is the difference between the Sichuan pepper trees and green Sichuan pepper trees grown in rural areas? How do you tell the two trees apart?

The growing habits of the Sichuan pepper tree and the green Sichuan pepper tree differ.

The Sichuan pepper tree is a small deciduous tree in the genus Zanthoxylum of the family Rutaceae. According to usage habits, Sichuan pepper can be divided into green Sichuan pepper and red Sichuan pepper, and green Sichuan pepper includes rattan pepper and green Sichuan pepper. So the Sichuan pepper mentioned here mainly refers to red Sichuan pepper. The cultivation of Sichuan pepper trees is common from the south to the north, even in the high-altitude Qinghai region. The Sichuan pepper tree is drought-tolerant, loves light, and is not tolerant of waterlogging; too long a period of standing water can easily kill it. Sichuan pepper is mainly grown in various parts of the country, but not in Taiwan, China, Hainan, or Guangdong in the south. The most famous Sichuan pepper, Dahongpao, comes from the northwest region. The flowering period of Sichuan pepper is generally from April to May, and the fruiting period is from the end of August to September or October, with some variation depending on the region and subsequent conditions.

Green Sichuan pepper is mainly distributed in Guizhou, Sichuan, and other regions. The green Sichuan pepper produced in these two regions has a unique flavor and a relatively strong numbing taste, and is a fairly famous local specialty of these two regions, especially in Sichuan, where green Sichuan pepper plays a pivotal role in Sichuan cuisine. The appearance of the two trees differs. The leaves of the Sichuan pepper tree are generally compound leaves with 7 to 9 leaflets, and at most even 13; the trunk has thorns, the branches have short thorns, and the leaves are relatively thick. The overall tree looks rather loose and fluffy, and the branches are relatively thick. The green Sichuan pepper tree has a compact shape, thinner branches, and leaves that are generally pinnately compound with 3 to 5 leaflets.

The taste and appearance of the fruit differ.

After the seeds of Sichuan pepper mature and are air-dried, the seed coat is brownish red, and the surface of the seed coat has slightly raised oil dots. Green Sichuan pepper seeds are dark green when mature and brownish yellow after air-drying, with wart-like protrusions on the seed coat. The taste of the two fruits is still very different. The edible part of both Sichuan pepper and green Sichuan pepper is the seed coat. Sichuan pepper has a relatively strong aroma and an indistinct numbing taste, while green Sichuan pepper has a strong and lasting numbing taste; it is this numbing taste that established its important place in Sichuan cuisine. The Sichuan pepper tree and the green Sichuan pepper tree are originally different varieties of the same tree species, but the taste of the seeds differs markedly, so when buying Sichuan pepper or green Sichuan pepper on the market, you still need to identify them carefully. You can identify them by color, taste, appearance, and other aspects to avoid buying the wrong one.

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