Szechwan cuisine

The cuisine of the Western region of China is known for its spicy taste, but many Western palates overlook the complex interplay of savory, sour, sweet and sexy flavors that underlie the fiery spice of Sichuan pepper and other spices that give Szechwan cuisine its characteristic burn.

For decades, most of the world was familiar mainly with Cantonese cuisine and think of it as 'Chinese cuisine'. In reality, however, China is a huge country covering almost every imaginable climate. The incredible variety of foods, spices and climates have led many different styles of Chinese cuisine. Includes Szechwan cuisine, originating in a humid, subtropical, smoked, pickled and spicy foods as well as foods seasoned with an iron fist for preservation and flavor.

While Sichuan pepper, a fruit that grows in the province of Chongqing, has always been used in Szechwan cooking, a majority believed that it was not until Christopher Columbus brought to Chile from his travels. Besides the flavors that sear the mouth, Szechwan cooking uses a combination of flavors to create the full impact of a dish. Hot and sour soup, for example, when prepared properly is not only heat or the bitter end. Prepared with sorrel, lemongrass, tofu and other spices, its first impression is the heady aroma, rich roast meat and sour lemon. That aroma is belied at the first touch of the tongue - the soup is salty first, though not as intensely. It combines a subtle blend of flavors, changing in the mouth slightly bitter - the sorrel and lemongrass making known. It is not until the mouthful of soup has been swallowed that the fire sets as Chile oil finally seeps into the taste bud

This is not unusual for Szechwan cooking. The first mouthful of Kung Pao chicken seldom brings tears to the eyes. Just chew and swallow and take another bite that the true heat of the dish begins to assert itself. Double Cooked Spicy Pork seems almost bland at first, with the flavors blending subtly in the background until the intense fire of chile oil in which the pork is fried suddenly flames in your mouth.
 
No more fire to Szechwan cuisine though. Smoked smokers are common and often makes use of unusual materials and flavors. Sichuan Tea-Smoked Duck is a delicacy that combines the flavors of citrus and ginger and garlic, juxtaposing with a long, slow cooking over fire mixed with leaves of green tea and oolong tea. The result is a succulent meat that melts in your mouth and leaves behind a hint of orange and ginger.

One tradition of Szechwan cuisine that is becoming more common in the Western world is the Szechwan Hot Pot. Similar to a 'fondue', a hot pot is more than a meal event. Chunks and slices of raw, meat fish and vegetables are offered to diners at a table holding a 'Hot Pot' - a pot of chili oil over a flame. Each guest chooses his food and oil immersed in Chile until cooked. Often, hosts will also offer a single pot broth for those guests who prefer a more bland meal, or can not tolerate spicy foods fried in chili oil.

Tasty, rich and spicy, Szechwan cuisine is cuisine based on intensity - intensely hot, intensely bitter and intensely delicious.