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The Szechuan style of cuisine arose from a culturally distinct area in
the central western of part of China, a province known as Sichuan. This
area of China came into its own culturally towards the end of the Shang
Dynasty, during the 15th century. However, it was also the climate of
the area that helped to shape the culinary traditions that were to
arise from Sichuan province and make their way into the realm of
international cuisine.
The province from which the cuisine that the world knows as Szechuan
evolved is often hot and humid, and this contributed to this necessity
of preparing foods in ways that differ significantly from other regions
of China. Szechuan cuisine is primarily known for its hot and spicy
dishes, though naturally there is more to Szechuan food than spice and
sauces rich and strong in flavor.
A general overview of culinary history and trends reveals that, for the
most part, areas that tended to spice heavily were areas in which the
fresh food supply was not as reliable as in places that traditionally
used a lighter hand in their use of spices. The climate of Sichuan is
conducive to faster food spoilage. This, particularly in the past, made
necessary food preservation techniques that themselves left behind a
strong flavor, such as salting, pickling, drying, and smoking. Thus,
spices served to mask the flavors of less than fresh foods and those
that have been preserved by methods that affect their natural flavors.
In addition to masking certain flavors, the use of hot spices, such as
chili peppers, tends to be more common to hot climates, as the sweat
that they can produce is thought to cool the body.
Much of the spicing of regional Chinese cooking is based upon bringing
together five fundamental taste sensations – sweet, sour, pungent,
salty and bitter. The balance of these particular elements in any one
dish or regional cuisine can vary, according to need and desire,
especially as influenced by climate, culture and food availability.
In Szechuan cuisine, there are a variety of ingredients and spices used
to create these basic taste sensations. These include a variety of
chili peppers, peppercorns over various types, Sichuan peppers, which
are in reality a type of fruit, not pepper, and produce a numbing
effect in addition to their warm flavor. Sichuan peppers, also called
flower pepper and mountain pepper, are a traditional part of the
Chinese five spice powder, or at least of those that are modeled upon
the most authentic versions of the spice combinations common to
regional Chinese cooking.
Other ingredients used commonly in Szechuan cuisine to create the five
fundamental taste sensations include different types of sugars, such as
beet root sugar and cane sugar, as well as local fruits for sweetness.
The sour comes from pickled vegetables and different varieties of
vinegar. A special bitter melon is added to many dishes to offer the
touch of bitterness that complements other flavors. Other spices and
flavors include dried orange peel, garlic, ginger, sesame oil and bean
paste. Salt is important to Szechuan cuisine, and the area produces
uniquely flavored salts that help to distinguish authentic Szechuan
cuisine from the other regional cuisines from China.
Szechuan cuisine is marked by its rich traditional flavors, which stem
from a culture of hundreds of years and are in part shaped by the
natural forces of climate. Authentic Szechuan cuisine offers a unique
dining experience made up of adventurous and creative taste sensations.
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