Szechuan Peppercorn (or Sichuan pepper) is made from the dried husks of berries from the Chinese prickly ash tree. The Szechuan flavour is fragrant, lemony and pungent and it has a biting astringency on the tongue, which can create a tingly, numb sensation in the mouth. Szechuan pepper is used in a lot of Chinese dishes including mapo tofu, twice cooked pork, Kung Pao chicken and dry-fried green beans.

Origin: China / Thailand