Cultured Palate: International Dishes from China
| April 18, 2018
7. Mapo Tofu
One of the most widely served cuisines in all of China is Sichuan cuisine. It originates in the cities of Chengdu and Chongqing and is widely recognized for its liberal use of the Sichuan pepper. This one-of-a-kind pepper is an electrifyingly hot spice that looks like reddish peppercorns and is mouth-numbingly spicy. There are many different types of spiciness prized in Sichuan cuisine: spice heat, and mala, the Chinese word for the type of numbing heat that Sichuan peppercorns provide. Mapo tofu, one of the most popular dishes in Sichuan cuisine, makes use of the tingly flavors of Sichuan peppercorns as well as a fermented bean and chili paste known as doubanjiang.
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