Sichuan cuisine facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sichuan cuisine
Kung Pao chicken
Chinese	四川菜
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Sìchuān cài
Chuan cuisine
Chinese	川菜
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Chuān cài

Geographic extent of Sichuan cuisine

Sichuan cuisine, also called Szechwan cuisine, is a popular style of Chinese cooking. It comes from Sichuan Province in China. This food is famous for its strong, bold tastes, especially its spiciness and a unique "numbing" feeling. These flavors come from using lots of garlic, chili peppers, and a special spice called Sichuan pepper.

Some well-known Sichuan dishes are Kung Pao chicken and Yuxiang shredded pork. There are many different ways to cook Sichuan food, even within Sichuan Province and the nearby Chongqing area. In 2011, UNESCO recognized Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan, as a "City of Gastronomy" because of its amazing cooking.

A Look at Sichuan Food History

Sichuan has always been a place where different foods and ideas mix. Long ago, in the Middle Ages, crops like broad beans, sesame, and walnuts came to Sichuan from the Middle East.

Later, around the 16th century, new foods arrived from the Americas. The most important one was the chili pepper from Mexico. This spicy pepper joined the traditional Sichuan peppercorn, which was already used. Other new foods included corn (which replaced millet), white potatoes, and sweet potatoes.

Sichuan is often called the "heavenly country" because it has so much food and natural resources. People in Sichuan love good flavors, especially hot and spicy ones. Even though many dishes are spicy, a typical meal often includes some milder foods to balance the taste.

Sichuan food uses seven main flavors: sour, pungent (strong), hot, sweet, bitter, aromatic (smelly), and salty. The mighty Yangtze River, China's longest river, flows through Sichuan. This river provides many basic food materials, spices, and water, which are all important for cooking.

What Makes Sichuan Food Special?

A chili hot pot characteristic of Sichuan cuisine

Sichuan Province has many different landscapes, like mountains, hills, and plains. This varied land means there are many different ingredients available for cooking.

The fertile Sichuan Basin grows lots of rice and vegetables. In the higher regions, you can find many herbs, mushrooms, and other fungi. Pork is the most common meat eaten. Beef is also used more in Sichuan than in other Chinese cuisines. Sichuan cooking also uses parts of animals like intestines, tongue, and liver. Rabbit meat is very popular here, much more than in other parts of China.

Sichuan cuisine often uses foods that have been preserved. This includes pickling, salting, and drying. These preserved dishes are usually served spicy, often with lots of chili oil.

The most unique and important spice in Sichuan food is the Sichuan pepper. This pepper has a strong, citrus-like smell. When you eat it, it creates a special "tingly-numbing" feeling in your mouth. Other common spices are garlic, chili peppers, ginger, and star anise.

Broad bean chili paste is another very important seasoning. It's a key ingredient in famous dishes like Mapo tofu and double-cooked pork. Sichuan cuisine is also known for creating several famous sauces and flavors used in Chinese cooking today. These include:

• Yuxiang (fish flavor)
• Mala (numbing and spicy)
• Guaiwei (strange flavor)

Other mixed flavors include hot and sour, five spices, ginger juice, mashed garlic, sweet and sour, and spice salt.

Sichuan chefs use more than 20 different cooking methods. Some common ones are stir frying, steaming, and braising.

Famous Sichuan Dishes

English Name	Image	Traditional Chinese	Simplified Chinese	Pinyin	What it is
Ants climbing a tree	Ants climbing a tree	螞蟻上樹	蚂蚁上树	mǎyǐ shàng shù	This dish has small bits of ground meat clinging to noodles, which looks like ants climbing a tree.
Bon bon chicken	Bon bon chicken	棒棒	棒棒鸡	bàngbàng jī	Chicken mixed with a dark, nutty sesame sauce. It's named after the sound of cleavers hitting the chicken to shred it.
Chili oil wontons	Chili oil wontons	紅油抄手	红油抄手	hóng yóu chāoshǒu	Wontons (dumplings) served in spicy chili oil.
Dandan noodles	Dandan noodles	擔擔麵	担担面	dàndàn miàn	These noodles were originally a street snack sold by people carrying them on poles.
Fish with pickled mustard greens	Fish with pickled mustard greens	酸菜魚	酸菜鱼	suān cài yú	Fish fillets cooked with sour pickled mustard greens.
Hot and sour noodles	Hot and sour noodles	酸辣麵, 酸辣粉	酸辣面, 酸辣粉	suān là miàn, suān là fěn	A noodle dish that is both sour and spicy, often eaten for breakfast or as a street snack.
Kung Pao chicken	Kung Pao chicken	宮保雞丁	宫保鸡丁	gōngbǎo jīdīng	A famous dish with chicken, peanuts, vegetables, and chili peppers.
Mao xue wang	Mao xue wang	毛血旺	毛血旺	máo xuě wàng	A traditional dish from Chongqing made with pig's blood, tripe, and other meats, seasoned with chili and Sichuan peppercorn.
Mapo doufu	Mapo tofu	麻婆豆腐	麻婆豆腐	mápó dòufǔ	Tofu in a spicy sauce, often with ground meat. Its name means "pockmarked Grandma Ma's tofu."
Sliced beef/beef tripe/ox tongue in chili sauce	Sliced beef in chili sauce	夫妻肺片	夫妻肺片	fūqī fèipiàn	Thinly sliced beef and beef organs served cold in a spicy chili sauce. Its name means "husband and wife lung pieces."
Shredded pork in garlic sauce	Shredded pork in garlic sauce	魚香肉絲	鱼香肉丝	yúxiāng ròusī	Shredded pork cooked in a sauce that tastes like it has fish in it, even though it doesn't.
Sichuan hotpot	Sichuan hotpot	四川火鍋	四川火锅	Sìchuān huǒguō	A boiling pot of spicy broth where you cook your own meats and vegetables.
Stir-fried green beans	Stir-fried green beans	乾煸四季豆	干煸四季豆	gān biān sìjì dòu	Green beans stir-fried until slightly wrinkled, often with chili and garlic.
Spicy deep-fried chicken	Spicy deep-fried chicken	辣子雞	辣子鸡	làzǐjī	Small pieces of deep-fried chicken mixed with many dried chili peppers.
Tea-smoked duck	Tea-smoked duck	樟茶鴨	樟茶鸭	zhāngchá yā	Duck that is smoked with tea leaves and camphor wood, then fried.
Double-cooked pork	Double-cooked pork	回鍋肉	回锅肉	huíguōròu	Pork that is first boiled, then sliced and stir-fried with vegetables and sauce.
Water-cooked meat	Water-cooked meat	水煮肉	水煮肉	shuǐzhǔ ròu	Meat (often fish or beef) cooked in a very spicy broth with lots of chili and Sichuan pepper.
Eggplant in the style of fish	Eggplant in the style of fish	魚香茄子	鱼香茄子	yúxiāng qiézi	Steamed eggplant served in a sauce that tastes like it's used for cooking fish.
Shredded chicken salad	Sichuan shredded chicken salad	涼拌雞絲	凉拌鸡丝	liáng bàn jī sī	Shredded chicken mixed with a spicy garlic sauce, served cold.
Bo-bo chicken	Bo-bo chicken	缽缽雞	钵钵鸡	bǒbǒ jī	A cold dish where chicken and vegetables are served on wooden sticks in a spicy sauce.
Mala duck tongue	Mala duck tongue	麻辣鴨舌	麻辣鸭舌	málà yā shé	Duck tongues stir-fried with Sichuan pepper and chili.
Stir-fried chicken kidney	Stir-fried chicken kidney	爆炒腰花	爆炒腰花	bàochǎo yāo huā	Stir-fried chicken kidney with a spicy pickled pepper sauce.
Sichuan signature barbecue	Sichuan signature barbecue	川味燒烤	川味烧烤	chuān wèi shāo kǎo	Barbecue seasoned with the unique Sichuan pepper.
Leshan douhua	Leshan douhua	樂山豆腐腦	乐山豆腐脑	lèshān dòu fǔ nǎo	Soft tofu with a special sauce, originally from Leshan, Sichuan.

See also

In Spanish: Gastronomía de Sichuan para niños