Which pepper is the best in the country? After the selection, these 6 places are relatively famous. Do you have your hometown?

According to the statistics of "Chinese Classical Recipes", 22% of ancient Chinese recipes have to add peppercorns. Especially in the Tang and Song Dynasties, the use of peppercorns as a seasoning reached a historical peak, and the proportion of dishes was as high as 37%. There are many places of production of Chinese prickly ash, of which there are 6 places, which are recognized as relatively famous.

Today, Lazy Meow will talk to you about the origin of Chinese prickly ash. Let’s take a look. Where are these 6 places? What are the characteristics of the pepper produced? Let's take a look, is your hometown on the list?

1. Sichuan Hanyuan (Hanyuan pepper)

Hanyuan is affiliated to Ya'an City, Sichuan Province. Hanyuan prickly ash produced here is a well-known local specialty and a product of China's National Geographical Indication. According to the "Hanyuan County Chronicle", "Hanyuan Zanthoxylum bungeanum has a pungent smell and a wide range of uses. It is a local object and is listed as a tribute... Officials and scholars, in addition to paying tribute every year, are sent out with a bag mark. Not too expensive." It can be seen that Hanyuan pepper has a very long history and was once a tribute to the court.

Hanyuan belongs to the subtropical monsoon humid climate, with warm winters and cool summers, four distinct seasons and less rainfall. The unique environmental advantages of Hanyuan have contributed to the unique quality of Hanyuan pepper. Hanyuan prickly ash grows at the southern foot of Daxiangling Niba Mountain. Its fruit shape is round and large, the color is ruddy, the hemp taste is heavy, and the fragrance is strong. It is mellow and refreshing when used as a seasoning.

2. Sichuan Kowloon (Kowloon pepper)

Kowloon, located in the western part of Sichuan Province, is at the junction of Ya'an, Liangshan, and Ganzi cities and states, and is also the transition zone between the Panxi Plain and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The local topography of Kowloon is relatively complex, dominated by mountains and river valleys, and has a typical three-dimensional climate.

It is precisely because of this unique geographical environment, coupled with less pollution, that it provides a good natural advantage for the growth of local peppercorns. The Chinese National Geographical Indication product grown here, Jiulong pepper, is known as "Gongjiao". The appearance of Jiulong Zanthoxylum bungeanum is purple-red, the particles are fuller, and the hemp fragrance is full.

3. Shaanxi Hancheng (Hancheng pepper)

Hancheng is located in the eastern part of Shaanxi Province, in the northeastern corner of the Guanzhong Basin. Shaanxi is a very famous place for the production of Chinese prickly ash. It is mentioned in the Compendium of Materia Medica that "Qinjiao, also prickly ash, originated in Qin". "Qin" here refers to Shaanxi. Among the many prickly ash produced in Shaanxi, the Hancheng Dahongpao prickly ash produced in Hancheng is the top grade, which is also a product of China's National Geographical Indication.

Hancheng prickly ash is large in size, full in particles, bright red in appearance, durable in storage, with a strong spicy and spicy flavor, and has also been exported to many overseas countries. According to the records of "Hancheng County Chronicle", "the only ones spared in the territory are hemp, kapok, pepper, persimmon and walnut", it can be seen that Hancheng pepper has a long history.

4. Chongqing Jiangjin (Jiangjin pepper)

The Jiangjin District of Chongqing is located on the southeastern edge of the Sichuan Basin. The terrain is dominated by mountains and hills. The climate is mild, the four seasons are distinct, and it is rainy and foggy, which is very suitable for the growth of Chinese prickly ash. The local Jiangjin pepper is also a product of China's National Geographical Indication. Jiangjin Zanthoxylum bungeanum, also known as "Jiuyeqing", is so named because there are as many as 9 leaves of this variety. Jiangjin has a tradition of planting Chinese prickly ash since ancient times, so it is also known as the "hometown of prickly ash".

The fruit shape of Jiangjin peppercorns is large, the color is blue-green, and it has a strong hemp flavor. In the home-cooked dishes eaten by Jiangjin people, Sichuan pepper is an indispensable seasoning. In the words of a local chef, in Jiangjin, there is no meal without pepper, no pepper without pepper, and a dish without pepper has no soul.

5. Gansu Longnan (Wudu pepper)

Longnan, located in the southeast of Gansu Province, is located in the junction area of ​​the Qinba Mountains, the Loess Plateau and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Because of its geographical location, there has been a saying since ancient times that "Qinlong is locked and key is the throat of Bashu". The climate here is warm and the sunshine is sufficient, which belongs to the transition zone of the north-south climate, which is very suitable for the growth and fruit bearing of pepper trees.

The Wudu District of Longnan is known as the "Millennium Pepper Township". When it comes to Wudu pepper, it has a lot of background. In the agronomy work "Qi Min Yao Shu" in the Northern Wei Dynasty, it was recorded that "Shu peppers go out of Wudu, and Qin peppers go out of Tianshui". During the Tang Dynasty, Wudu pepper was also a very famous tribute.

6. Guizhou Zhenfeng (Pepper Dingtan)

Zhenfeng, located in the southwest of Guizhou Province, is a local product of Dingtan Zanthoxylum, which was officially rated as a Chinese National Geographical Indication Product as early as 2008. Affected by the unique local topography, landform, soil, climate and other natural conditions, Dingtan Zanthoxylum is different from ordinary Zanthoxylum in many places.

Take the content of aromatic oil in Sichuan pepper, Dingtan pepper is about 10 times that of Sichuan red pepper, and in terms of numbness, it is also more than 2 times higher than the same type of pepper produced in other places. If there are 6 words to describe the characteristics of Dingtan Zanthoxylum bungeanum, it would be "strong fragrance and heavy numbness".