Peppercorns are the hallmark of Sichuan’s fiery hot cuisine. The spice is known for its tongue-numbing, tingly sensation, and it can be found sprinkled on tofu or boiled in hot pot.

But they’re also really difficult to find in America.

We went to Hanyuan County in Sichuan Province to find the most potent peppercorns and learned how a series of weird import regulations prevented them from reaching the States—until now.

This is the first episode of our fall series In Season, where Clarissa goes out to harvest plants and animals that are hard to find and explains why you can’t get them in the U.S.

If you liked this video, we’ve gone on more adventures in China, including:

The Gold Rush for Mushrooms
https://dai.ly/x6uda04

Finding the Largest Tea Tree in the World
https://dai.ly/x6siogy

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Producer and Host: Clarissa Wei
Videographer: Beimeng Fu
Editor: Nicholas Ko
Animation: Ray Ngan
Mastering: Victor Peña

Music: Audio Network

#china #sichuan #peppercorns