A number of different styles contribute to Chinese cuisine, but perhaps the best known and most influential are Cantonese cuisine, Shandong cuisine, Jiangsu cuisine and Szechuan cuisine.

Sichuan ( spelled Szechuan in the once common Postal Romanization ), is a style of Chinese cuisine originating in the Sichuan Province of southwestern China famed for bold flavors, particularly the pungency and spiciness resulting from liberal use of garlic and chili peppers, as well as the unique flavour of the Sichuan peppercorn ( 花椒, huājiāo ) and zhitianjiao ( 指天椒, zhǐtiānjiāo ).

Although the official pinyin romanisation now is Sichuan, the cuisine is still often spelled Szechuan or Szechwan in North America.

There are many local variations of Szechuan cuisine within Sichuan province and the Chongqing municipality, which was part of Sichuan until 1997.

According to at least one Chinese culinary writer, Szechuan cuisine is composed of seven basic flavours: sour, pungent, hot, sweet, bitter, aromatic, and salty.

Szechuan cuisine has changed little over the years and remains a staple of American Chinese cuisine .. Sichuan cooking is considered as the spread of Bashu cooking culture.

A chilli hot pot characteristic of Szechuan cuisine

Szechuan cuisine often contains food preserved through pickling, salting, and drying and is generally spicy due to heavy application of chilli oil.

Broad bean chili paste () is also a staple seasoning in Szechuan cuisine.

Sichuan pepper or Szechuan pepper, a common spice used in Asian cuisine, is derived from at least two species of the global genus Zanthoxylum, including Z. simulans and Z. bungeanum.

The husk or hull ( pericarp ) around the seeds may be used whole, especially in Szechuan cuisine, and the finely ground powder is one of the blended ingredients for the five-spice powder.

# REDIRECT Szechuan cuisine

**** Szechuan cuisine ( Sichuan )

** Szechuan cuisine

Chinese cuisine including Guangdong, Szechuan, Hunan and Jiangsu as well as Japanese, Thai and Western cuisines can be found.

* Szechuan cuisine

Due to the political and social unrest caused by the fall of the Sui Dynasty, he went to Chengdu in Sichuan ( Szechuan ), where he was ordained at the age of twenty.

Mápó dòufu, or mápó tòfu, is a popular Chinese dish from the Sichuan ( Szechuan ) province, and probably among the best known Chinese dishes in western world.

The classic dish in Szechuan cuisine, originating in the Sichuan Province of central-western China also includes Sichuan peppercorns.

* Szechuan cuisine-cooking style originating in the Chinese province Sichuan

(, known formerly in the West by its postal map spellings of Szechwan or Szechuan ) is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the southwest of the country.

" Despite Szechuan cuisine's reputation as being spicy, only a small portion of the food is spicy.

Szechuan food is divided into five different types: sumptuous banquet, ordinary banquet, popularised food, household-style food, and food snacks.

Duck tongues are sometimes employed in Szechuan dishes, while lamb's tongue is occasionally employed in Continental and contemporary American cooking.

Sesame paste is an ingredient in some Chinese, Korean, and Japanese dishes ; it is used in some versions of the Szechuan dish Dan dan noodles.

The Szechuan White-eared Pheasant, Crossoptilon crossoptilon crossoptilon, is a galliform bird native to the Szechuan region of China.

The Szechuan White-eared Pheasant will not mate until it is two years old, then it will go into a heated breeding frenzy around the end of April.

Although there is not much sexual dimorphism among the Szechuan White-eared Pheasant, the cocks are considerably larger than the hens.

This type of soup is influenced by that of Szechuan hot and sour soups, therefore it is sometimes referred to as " Szechuan Beef Noodle Soup " ( 四川牛肉麵 ), but this name is incorrect as it was invented in Taiwan.

* The Imperial Japanese Navys air arm begins Operation 101, the largest aerial offensive of the Second Sino-Japanese War to date, seeking to destroy Nationalist Chinese air capabilities in Szechuan Province and military facilities around Chungking.

Endicott was born in Szechuan Province, China, the third of five children to a Methodist missionary family and became fluent in Chinese.

The dish played an important role in changing the mainstream of Chinese cuisine consumed in South Korea from Szechuan cuisine to Cantonese cuisine.

When the Fourth Red Army under Zhang Guotao was formed in the Szechuan – Shensi border area from several smaller units, no standard nomenclature of the armies of the Communist Party existed ; moreover, during the Chinese Civil War, central control of separate Communist-controlled enclaves within China was limited.

Szechuan pepper should be distinguished from Japanese pepper or sanshō ( Z. piperitum ), even though both are at times lumped together in commerce and by ill-informed food writers.

** Chili sauce, spicy sauce made primarily from chili powder and / or chopped fresh chili peppers, often with additional spices and other ingredients such as sugar and vinegar ; examples include enchilada sauce, Szechuan sauce and bottled hot sauces

Innumerable variations are available changing from location and vendors, the unusual ones being Szechuan vegetable sandwich and Russian sandwich.

Another less widely accepted explanation stems from an alternative definition of 麻, meaning " numb ": the Szechuan peppercorns used in the dish numb the diner's mouth.

He launches the creation of 700 new products under the Fauchon brand, introduced on the market from 1998 to 2003, in particular the new flavored teas of the Four Seasons, the “ Pure Fruit ” range of preserves, the foie gras made with Szechuan peppercorns, the caramel milk jam, the strawberry preserve with rose petals ( See the article in the Spring 2003 issue of the Wharton Alumni Magazine ) He completes the repositioning of the Fauchon brand in its food universe of good products made simply and exceptionally and he also removes the brand from the mass-market retail channel and renovates the historical stores on Place de la Madeleine.

** Dou ban sauce ( la dou ban jiang 辣豆瓣醬, la dou jiang 辣豆醬, dou ban jiang 豆瓣醬 ), (" la " is " spice ", " dou " is " bean ", " ban " is " piece ", and " jiang " is " sauce ") originates from Szechuan cuisine in which chilis are used liberally.

An isolated species also occurs in north-western Szechuan province of China.

* The Catholic Church in Lungshui of the Szechuan province is attacked by a mob of 30, 000 people.