Often mistaken for chile peppers that generate a super spicy heat, Sichuan “peppers” are actually berries that boast a lemony flavor while adding a tactile dimension to food with an explosive, tongue-tingling effect.
Unlike many other Sichuan peppers available in the United States, 50Hertz Sichuan pepper is never heat-treated, meaning that its vibrant color and pleasant numbing effect is at maximum potency. Additionally, they partner with farmers in Sichuan, China who deftly harvest these berries from the thorny prickly ash tree and dry them until their husks open, releasing its inedible inner black seed. Fewer black seeds mean higher quality peppers.
How to use
More commonly used than the rare green variety, red Sichuan peppers are essential to Sichuan classics like mapo tofu and dan dan noodles, but their unique zesty character has uses far beyond Chinese cuisine. Whether they’re added to spice rubs for coating roast chicken or homemade potato chips, punching up steamed fish, blistered green beans or arrabbiata pasta sauce, Red Sichuan peppers add dimension to all kinds of cooking.
About the producer
Named in reference to the frequency of the prickly sensation that these potent peppers generate, 50Hertz was co-founded by Yao Zhao and Lois Goh. Together, Zhao and Goh are on a mission to share Sichuan pepper’s vibrant and versatile flavor with more people outside of China. Working with trusted farmers in Sichuan and Gansu, 50Hertz imports both red and green Sichuan peppers to the United States.
