What exactly is the Sichuan peppercorn?
tanadtha lomakul/Shutterstock
So what’s the deal with this tingling treat that reminds Rachael Ray of Angelina Jolie? Well, first of all, according to Michelin Guide, the Sichuan peppercorn isn’t a pepper at all. Nope, it’s a dried ash tree berry. The effect of the Sichuan peppercorn – the tingling and numbing – is otherwise known as paresthesia. Paresthesia is thought to involve the molecule hydroxy-alpha-sanshool, which may grow naturally in the tree from which the Sichuan peppercorn grows. An NPR report on “Morning Edition” brought some new insight into the effects of the Sichuan peppercorn. Scientist Diana Bautista found during experiments that the peppercorn “chemically mimics touch.” Pretty cool, and definitely unique for a meal ingredient.
Ray has used Sichuan peppercorns to make roast chicken and Sichuan-style steak au poivre while her husband John Cusimano has used them to spice up a cosmo cocktail. This ingredient is most often found in ma la Sichuan cuisine, per Michelin Guide, which explains that “ma” and “la” refer to tingling and spiciness respectively. People encounter it in dishes like Kung Pao Chicken, dan dan noodles, and ma po tofu, but the Americanized versions in restaurants might not. In fact, concerns over bacteria led to a ban on Sichuan on peppercorns in the U.S. that lasted nearly 40 years. Luckily, those fears were assuaged and the Sichuan peppercorn is back in action stateside and in Rachael Ray’s kitchen.
Why Rachael Ray Thinks Sichuan Peppercorns Are ‘Kinda Sexy And Fun’
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By Claire Schuh/July 16, 2022 3:14 pm EST
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Ray said on her Tiktok that the Sichuan peppercorn is sexy and fun because it “makes you look like Angelina Jolie for a couple of minutes. It makes your tongue swell up a little bit and your lips get plump.” Jolie’s lips might be celebrities unto themselves - Vogue cited them as one of “the most voluptuous [pairs of] lips of all time.”
What exactly is the Sichuan peppercorn?
tanadtha lomakul/Shutterstock
So what’s the deal with this tingling treat that reminds Rachael Ray of Angelina Jolie? Well, first of all, according to Michelin Guide, the Sichuan peppercorn isn’t a pepper at all. Nope, it’s a dried ash tree berry. The effect of the Sichuan peppercorn – the tingling and numbing – is otherwise known as paresthesia. Paresthesia is thought to involve the molecule hydroxy-alpha-sanshool, which may grow naturally in the tree from which the Sichuan peppercorn grows. An NPR report on “Morning Edition” brought some new insight into the effects of the Sichuan peppercorn. Scientist Diana Bautista found during experiments that the peppercorn “chemically mimics touch.” Pretty cool, and definitely unique for a meal ingredient.
Ray has used Sichuan peppercorns to make roast chicken and Sichuan-style steak au poivre while her husband John Cusimano has used them to spice up a cosmo cocktail. This ingredient is most often found in ma la Sichuan cuisine, per Michelin Guide, which explains that “ma” and “la” refer to tingling and spiciness respectively. People encounter it in dishes like Kung Pao Chicken, dan dan noodles, and ma po tofu, but the Americanized versions in restaurants might not. In fact, concerns over bacteria led to a ban on Sichuan on peppercorns in the U.S. that lasted nearly 40 years. Luckily, those fears were assuaged and the Sichuan peppercorn is back in action stateside and in Rachael Ray’s kitchen.
Ray has used Sichuan peppercorns to make roast chicken and Sichuan-style steak au poivre while her husband John Cusimano has used them to spice up a cosmo cocktail. This ingredient is most often found in ma la Sichuan cuisine, per Michelin Guide, which explains that “ma” and “la” refer to tingling and spiciness respectively. People encounter it in dishes like Kung Pao Chicken, dan dan noodles, and ma po tofu, but the Americanized versions in restaurants might not. In fact, concerns over bacteria led to a ban on Sichuan on peppercorns in the U.S. that lasted nearly 40 years. Luckily, those fears were assuaged and the Sichuan peppercorn is back in action stateside and in Rachael Ray’s kitchen.
