Rashed's View

I am always on the lookout for interesting spices for our pantry. Masud introduced me to szechuan peppercorns. Although T was familiar with it, I had never tasted it before. It was memorable from the moment I popped one in my mouth. I tried some on their own, and later at dinner on Masud’s stir-fried pumpkin wedges with the szechuan peppercorns. It has a smoky, peppery flavor with a very long after-taste. It reminds me of a mix of lapsang souchong tea (smoky), Indian peppercorn (peppery) and biryani (long after-taste). Very nice!

It had been banned by the FDA from 1968 to 2005 because it used to affect citrus trees. They now have to be heat treated before being imported into the country. And it’s not even a pepper corn – it is actually the berry from an ash shrub, and the flavor is in the husk.