Sichuan

What it is

Sichuan cuisine is one of the eight great regional traditions of Chinese cooking, centred on the humid Sichuan basin of the country’s southwest. Chilies, brought across the Pacific from the Americas in the 17th century, met the indigenous Sichuan peppercorn and rewrote the local pantry forever.

How it tastes

The signature sensation is málà — má (numbing) from the peppercorn meeting là (spicy) from dried chilies. Beyond heat, classical Sichuan cooks recognize “23 flavor profiles,” including yu xiang (fish-fragrant), guai wei (strange flavor), and suan la (sour-spicy).

Signature dishes & techniques

Mapo tofu, attributed to a pockmarked widow in 19th-century Chengdu, set the template: soft tofu simmered in doubanjiang and chili oil, crowned with crisp Sichuan peppercorn. Dry-fried green beans, twice-cooked pork, and dan dan noodles round out the canon — and a bubbling málà hotpot remains the region’s communal feast.