Sichuan or sansho pepper is a very hot and peppery Chinese or Japanese spice which is in fact made from the dried red berries and husks of a pod from a type of prickly ash, not a pepper. It is very pungent in aroma with a lemony flavour and has some of the numbing effects of cloves rather than the hotness of black pepper. The flavour is actually in the pod rather than in the berries and some books even recommend disposing of them. It should be roasted and ground before use. It is an ingredient of Chinese five spice powder and is associated with the fiery cuisines of Szechuan and Hunan. It is found in the rain forests of western India where gnarled old trees produce buds which are dried and eaten with fish dishes and foods such as pulses. It is also known as Sansho, which is the Japanese equivalent.
