Sichuan cuisine or Sichuanese cuisine, alternatively romanized as Szechwan cuisine or Szechuan cuisine (, Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is a style of Chinese cuisine originating from Sichuan province and the neighboring Chongqing municipality. Chongqing was formerly a part of Sichuan until 1997; thus, there is a great deal of cultural overlap between the two administrative divisions. There are many regional, local variations of Sichuanese cuisine within Sichuan and Chongqing.
The four major substyles of Sichuanese cuisine include Shanghebang, Xiaohebang, Xiahebang, and Buddhist vegetarian style. Shanghebang is represented by Chengdu and Leshan; Xiaohebang by Zigong (which is also known for a genre of dishes called yanbangcai), Yibin, Luzhou, and Neijiang; and Xiahebang by Chongqing and Dazhou.
Sichuanese cuisine is renowned for fiery and bold tastes, particularly the pungency and spiciness resulting from liberal use of garlic and chilis, as well as the unique flavors of Sichuan (Szechuan) pepper. Some examples are Kung Pao chicken and Yuxiang shredded pork.
UNESCO declared Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province, a city of gastronomy in 2011.
Sichuan cuisine is thought to have originated during the Spring and Autumn period and the Warring States period, the beginning of Qin and Han dynasties, and the formation of classical Sichuan cuisine in Han and Jin dynasties. In the Tang and Song Dynasties, Sichuan cuisine was developed further, and Sichuan restaurants spread throughout Kaifeng and Lin'an. During the Song dynasty, Sichuan cuisine became a distinct cuisine.
During the Ming and Qing dynasties, Sichuan cuisine developed further until the foundation of the modern Republic of China. Modern Sichuan cuisine eventually formed the characteristics of "rich variety", and "strong taste and spicy".
Chili peppers were introduced into Sichuan and widely used in Sichuan cuisine during the Kangxi period, which was a watershed between ancient Sichuan cuisine and modern Sichuan cuisine. The book "Flower Mirror" written and published by Chen Xiuzi in 1688 states in volume five: "Pepper, a sea mad vine, commonly known as spicy eggplantâ¦â¦the most spicy, used by many people, very fine, winter moon to replace pepper. [sic]"
In the Middle Ages, Sichuan welcomed Middle Eastern crops, such as broad beans, sesame and walnuts. Since the 16th century, the list of major crops in Sichuan has even been lengthened by New World newcomers. The chili pepper is native to Mexico, and likely arrived in Sichuan province from India or Macau, complementing the traditional Sichuan (Szechuan) peppercorns. Other newcomers from the New World included corn, which largely replaced millet; white potatoes introduced by Catholic missions; and sweet potatoes. The population of Sichuan was cut by about 75% in the wars from the Ming dynasty to the Qing dynasty. Settlers from the adjacent Hunan Province brought their cooking styles with them.
Sichuan is colloquially known as the "heavenly country" due to its abundance of food and natural resources. One ancient Chinese account declared that the "people of Sichuan uphold good flavors, and they are fond of hot and spicy taste." Most Sichuan dishes are spicy, although a typical meal includes nonspicy dishes to cool the palate. Sichuan cuisine is composed of seven basic tastes: sweet, sour, numbingly spicy, spicy, bitter, fragrant/aromatic, and salty. Sichuan food is divided into five different types: sumptuous banquet, ordinary banquet, popular foods, household-style food and snacks. Milder versions of Sichuan dishes remain a staple of American Chinese cuisine.
Wang Dayu, in the Sichuan cuisine history strategy by the Committee on Literature and History of the CPPCC, considers Sichuan cuisine to be roughly divided into Chengdu Bang, Chongqing Bang, Dahe Bang, and Xiaohe Bang categories.
Shanghe Gang Sichuan cuisine in Chengdu, and Leshan-centered areas in the west of Sichuan, is characterized by being rich in seasoning and having a relatively light taste. It often uses spicy bean paste and sugar for flavoring, and is the most widely known Sichuan cuisine.
Shanghe Bangchuan cuisine is based on traditional classical recipes. It has a mild taste and flavor while concentrating on premium dishes such as royal and official banquet dishes.
Xiaohe Bangchuan cuisine is centered on Zigong in southern Sichuan, and includes Yibin cuisine, Luzhou cuisine, and Neijiang cuisine, which are characterized by their rich tastes. Zigong Yanbang dishes are divided into three branches: salty commercial dishes, salty industrial dishes and hall dishes, with a spicy taste, mala, and sweet and sour taste.
The complex topography of Sichuan Province, including its mountains, hills, plains, plateaus and the Sichuan Basin, has shaped its food customs with versatile and distinct ingredients.
Abundant rice and vegetables are produced from the fertile Sichuan Basin, whereas a wide variety of herbs, mushrooms and other fungi prosper in the highland regions. Pork is overwhelmingly the most common type of meat consumed. Beef is somewhat more common in Sichuan cuisine than it is in other Chinese cuisines, perhaps due to the prevalence of oxen in the region. Sichuan cuisine also uses various cow and pork offal as ingredients, including intestine, arteries, head, tongue, skin and liver. Rabbit meat is much more popular in Sichuan than elsewhere in China. It is estimated that the Sichuan Basin and Chongqing area are responsible for about 70 percent of China's total rabbit meat consumption. The salt produced from Sichuan salt springs and wells does not contain iodine, which led to issues with goiter before the 20th century.
Sichuan cuisine often contains food preserved through pickling, salting and drying. Preserved dishes are generally served as spicy dishes with heavy application of chili oil.
The most unique and important spice in Sichuan cuisine is the Sichuan (Szechuan) pepper (), which has an intense, fragrant citruslike taste and produces a notably distinct "numbingly spicy" () sensation in the mouth. Other commonly used spices in Sichuan cuisine are garlic, chili peppers, ginger, and star anise.
Broad bean chili paste () is another important seasoning. It is an essential component in famous dishes such as Mapo tofu and twice-cooked pork.
Sichuan cuisine is the origin of several prominent sauces/flavors widely used in modern Chinese cuisine, including:
Other examples of flavor combinations including spicy and hot (Mala), fish flavor (Yuxiang), hot and sour, the five spices (Wuxiang; äºÂé¦Â), ginger juice, mashed garlic, sweet and sour, spice salt (Jiaoyan; æ¤Âé¹½), dried tangerine or orange peel (Chenpi; é³ç®), burnt chili, pot-stewed fowl (Lu; æ»·å³), odd flavor (Guaiwei; æªå³), and other recombinations of these seasonings.