Sichuan Pepper

Sichuan pepper is the spice produced from the dried berries of the Zanthoxylum simulans (syn. Zanthoxylum bungeanum), a prickly ash tree in the citrus family (Rutaceae). It is a close relative of the Japanese pepper sanshō and the West African pepper uzazi. All three spices impart a characteristic numbing effect on the tongue and lips due to the compound sanshool.