Épices Rœllinger Pepper Cousins | French Spices<Sichuan pepper

Szechuan peppercorns have made their way into many western gardens. The small, thorny bush is so resistant that it can even stand up to the gales that blow along the coast of Brittany. Few gardeners manage to gather the feather-light berries at peak ripeness when they have turned a bright red. Even fewer take the time to husk them and thresh out all the tiny twigs.  

Sylvie and Philippe are among the rare individuals that have risen to the challenge to grow and harvest tiny Szechuan peppercorns (in the Zanthoxylum family) in southwestern France. The exceptionally flavorful berries are grown on 70 bushes that are tended using permaculture and organic methods.

The berries (Zanthoxylum simulans) are harvested from a small, thorny ash tree that is native to China but also found in Vietnam. They are not a true pepper (piper nigrum), but have a peppery flavor and can numb the palate when used to excess. Zanthoxylum species are members of the large rue or citrus family.  

Szechuan peppercorns are also sometimes referred to as Chinese peppercorns or flower pepper. During the Han dynasty, the bedroom walls of the royal court were festooned with the berries to lend them their warming fragrance. Szechuan peppercorns were thought to be linked to longevity as well.   

Today, Szechuan peppercorns are an integral part of southern Chinese cuisines and are one of the spice components in Chinese 5-spice powder.