Sichuan Cuisine (Chuan Cuisine) is one of the eight major cuisines of China. The cuisine features a wide range of materials, various seasonings and different cooking techniques and numerous tastes. Statistics show that the number of Sichuan dishes has surpassed 5,000. With a rich variety of strong flavors, Sichuan food is famous for its countless delicacies, dominated by peppery, chili flavors, and best known for being spicy-hot. If you find the Sichuan dishes too bland, then you are probably not eating authentic Sichuan cuisine. Chili peppers and prickly ash are used in many dishes, giving it a distinctively spicy taste, called Ma in Chinese. It often leaves a slight numb sensation in the mouth. Thanks to the development of global trade, chili peppers were spread to Sichuan by Americans in the 18th century, which greatly influence flavor of Sichuan cuisines. 

Sichuan cuisine is characterized by stirring and frying over a hot fire, braising, and so on. People in Sichuan like to use condiments like chili, garlic, cinnamon, dried orange peel, scallion etc. to make their cuisine delicious. The most of the characteristic of Sichuan cuisine is hot and spicy. You can see that even every Sichuan cuisine cooked with chili peppers.

Notable Sichuan Dishes: Kung Pao Chicken, Ma Po Tofu, Dandan Noodles, Fish-Flavored Shredded Pork, Sliced Pork in Hot Chili Oil, Sliced Beef and Ox Organs in Chili Sauce