Szechuan Surprise

I came across some Szechuan peppercorns while waiting in line to pay for some cheese today, and of course I had to get some. I recently saw a program that featured the famous, fiery Szechuan hot pot, which consists of a bubbling hell broth spiked with chili oil, onion, ginger, chili peppers and these little berries called Szechuan peppercorns. They were banned in the U.S. for years because they carried a virus that spread to citrus trees. Now they've figured out how to heat treat them without ruining the flavor completely, and they're available again on these shores.

I popped a peppercorn in my mouth and gave it a crunch, expecting it to be overwhelmingly spicy, but to my surprise, it was pretty mild. It's slightly citrusy, similar to pink peppercorns, with more of a black peppercorn aroma. The coolest thing happened, though, about a minute later. My tongue started to tingle as if I had been eating Pop Rocks, and it didn't stop for about 10 minutes! I was standing in my kitchen laughing to myself like a fool, but it was the coolest thing food has done in a while. I can't wait to corral some of my bravest friends for a traditional hot pot dinner one of these days. Maybe Chinese New Year will be the day.