Have You Tried…?

The flowering buds of the Sichuan pepper, or the Sansho pepper, pack a powerful punch. Chopped or crumbled into small pieces, they can be used as a subsitute for pepper and chilies.

Washington Post staff writer Bonnie S. Benwick describes its flavor as follows:

Sensations from even one-eighth of a half-inch-long, deceptively innocuous little yellow nub will come in waves. There’s a grassy start, then a rush into Pop-Rocks territory as a tingling-slight numbing combo hits the back of the soft palate. Some people will feel the saliva-stimulating effects of the bud’s natural alkylamides; many report a cold-fresh finish in the throat that, like any good gift, keeps on giving long after the plant matter has disappeared down the hatch.